HRDF POST-EVENT REPORT
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM [CERT] AQUIN, HAITI – TROPICAL STORM « ISAAC »
AUGUST 24-26, 2012
Aquin CERT member, mobilized with motorcycle, vest and first-aid pack talks with resident about precautions against the advancing storm, « Isaac. » Note household toilet in background is already surrounded by standing water from a previous rainstorm.
INTRODUCTION – HRDF AND EMERGENCY RESPONSEThe Haitian Resource Development Foundation <hrdf.org> was founded in 1987 and is based in Aquin on Haiti’s south-central Caribbean coast. HRDF is an advocate and acknowledged leader for education, training and mobilization for emergency medical technology [EMT] and community emergency response teams [CERT], both being essential in disaster-prone small island states such as Haiti.
For many years, HRDF’s physicians and instructors, many of them from overseas universities, hospitals and emergency management organizations, have provided continuing education in emergency fields for Haitian police, firemen, medical and rescue personnel. Three years ago, HRDF assembled and began to train a CERT for Aquin, the first of its kind in Haiti. Weekend sessions are held periodically, with subjects ranging from first aid, search and rescue, life support, mass-casualty response, transport and evacuation, community alerts, environmental and biosurveillance and post-disaster assessment.
HRDF CERT training sessions are comprehensive, rigorous and practicalWith the approach of Tropical Storm « Isaac, » Haiti’s Ministry of Health and Population [MSPP] requested the services of Aquin’s CERT. The purpose was to alert the residents, provide comfort, guidance and reliable advice, assist with storm preparations, be on-call during the storm passage, and then respond as needed to injuries and property damage. All of this takes into account that Aquin is a vulnerable coastal city and commune typical of dozens that face the sea, with their backs to Haiti’s steep hills and mountainsides. Especially during severe weather events, these conditions pose significant threats from storm surges, landslides and flashfloods.
Aquin, Haiti faces the sea to the south, with steep slopes to the north.
Relief map of Aquin and vicinity, showing river basins, narrow coastal plan and steep slopes – a combination for water-borne disaster during extreme storm events.
POST-« ISAAC » CERT REPORT
Subject: rapport sur le passage du cyclone Isaac dans la commune d’Aquin.
Rapport en date du 24/08/12
Nous avions sillonné quelques zones cibles au moment du passage du cyclone d’Isaac dans la commune d’Aquin telles que: Au bord de la mer (Nan Gazon, Bouk Dival, Posen lwi), une partie de la 3ème section (Morisseau, Grison, Carrefour Félix, Terre-Blanche) et une partie de la 2ème section (le quartier de Vieux-Bourg).
Notre objectif était de:
- De sensibiliser la population sur le passage du cyclone Isaac a travers le pays.
- D’inviter la population à prendre quelques précautions pour éviter des dégâts qui peuvent être causés par le passage du cyclone.
- faire le control des trafics routiers.
- Motiver d’avantage la population sur l’épidémie du cholera après le passage du cyclone Isaac dans la communauté Aquinoise.
NB: le vent a soufflé dans la matinée du jeudi jusqu’au vendredi dans la soirée. La pluie a tombé par intermittence. l’eau a monté a quelque centimètres et a inondé des maisons au bord de la mer.
Deuxième journée en date du 25/08/12
Du 24 au 25 Aout, la pluie a tombé toute la nuit du 24 et dans la matinée du 25 aout. Le vent a soufflé très fort. Toutes les activités de la commune ont été paralysées.
L’équipe de l’ECRU accompagnée de la Directrice de l’UCS d’Aquin et de St-Louis du Sud en la personne du Docteur Marie Danielle Comeau a sensibilisé de la population sur le passage du cyclone Isaac dans le Département du Sud.
Nos activités ont pris fin dans la soirée du 26/08/12. Remerciement pour leur support à :
Aldy Hotel
Project Hope
Florida Emergency Management Division
Haitian Resource Development Foundation (HRDF)
CERT members use moto-ambulance with loudspeaker to alert residents. Note steep hillsides in background.
CERT members also use their own vehicles when necessary.
CERT members work as a team to cover both city and countryside. Their emergency vehicles must be able to negotiate difficult terrain.
Constant vigilance is essential for disaster preparedness. During « Isaac, » mobile CERT members worked into the night, wore protective hats and reflective vests, and carried first-aid packs and other emergency response supplies.
Even small streams and swales can become dangerous floodways during and after severe weather events. CERT members are trained to anticipate locations and perform necessary search and rescue.
Floodwater that does not easily pass through and around Haitian communities can become stagnant and dangerous sources of contamination and disease. Therefore, CERT work does not end when the storm passes over; there is much more to do.