Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 24 mai 2016

 Deadly attack on Haiti police headquarters as tensions escalate

PORT-AU-PRINCE| BY JOSEPH GUYLER DELVA

Gunmen stormed a police headquarters in southern Haiti on Monday (16th) leaving at least six killed in a shootout and a related accident in an apparent uprising attempt days after the volatile country missed a deadline to sign in a new president.

The police chief for Haiti's southern region, Luc Pierre, said gunmen in military fatigues attacked at night in the coastal city of Les Cayes. They seized automatic weapons and killed a policeman before officers shot one of them dead.

"Gunmen in military fatigue attacked police headquarters around 2:30 a.m., they beat several police officers and took away a number of weapons," Pierre said, adding that several policemen had been wounded, one seriously.

Under a political agreement struck in February after the impoverished Caribbean nation failed to hold a runoff election, a provisional president was chosen on condition he held the delayed vote in April and hand over power by May 14.

Both deadlines were missed, and an election will only be held after a commission evaluates fraud allegations in the first round, a process likely to take weeks despite U.S. and U.N. pressure.

Suspicions about Monday's attack turned to Guy Philippe, a former coup leader wanted by U.S. authorities on cocaine trafficking charges, who this year threatened an uprising against any interim government.

Philippe denied on Monday any involvement in the attack.

One of the gunmen who was captured, Remy Teleus, told reporters that he was among more than 50 men mobilized by Philippe to take over police headquarters and the southern region.

"I was not among those who stormed the police headquarters, but I am part of a group commissioned by Guy Philippe to take over police headquarters," Teleus said, adding that the plan had not been to kill police but that the situation turned ugly.

Philippe, who is running for senate, called for peaceful protests to pressure interim President Jocelerme Privert to complete the botched elections.  

Four of the gunmen died when their vehicle crashed as they were fleeing. Others wounded in the accident were arrested.

Supporters of former President Michel Joseph Martelly, who left office without an elected successor in February, have demonstrated to demand a speedy runoff.

They took to the streets on Monday to call for the departure of Privert, who they accuse of foot dragging. A few protesters threw stones and broke windows at a radio station offices.

(Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Toni Reinhold)

The African Union has 54 member states. Actually, make that 55: Next month, Haiti will officially become a member.

Yep, Haiti — in the Caribbean — will become part of Africa. It will be the first non-African country to join the AU bloc.

Culturally, though, a lot of people feel like the two are already joined.

“Haiti always calls itself ... a little piece of Africa in the Caribbean, so I think it’s only fitting that now they made it official,” said Garry Pierre-Pierre, publisher of the Brooklyn-basedHaitian Times.

“We share so much of the African culture from religious practices to the way we interact,” said Pierre-Pierre. “When I lived [in West Africa], it reminded me so much of Haiti, it was uncanny.”

The primary benefit for Haiti in joining the AU will be the economic ties.

“Haiti wants to develop a lot of industries, tourism one of them,” said Pierre-Pierre, a former New York Times reporter. “I think there are a lot of opportunities for commerce, for raw materials that are plentiful in Africa.”

It works both ways.

“As Africa develops industries it will be looking for markets, and Haiti will be one of them,” said Pierre-Pierre.

Beyond the economic ties that bind, joining the AU is for most Haitians a symbolic step — the unionhas been discussed for several years. Pierre-Pierre thinks that in 20 years, Haitians will look back on the decision and say, “What a brilliant move this was. What took it so long?” 

Haitian Flag Day Celebrated in South Florida

Miami-Dade College and the Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center are celebrating Haitian Flag Day with two ceremonies Wednesday (May 18^th) and Thursday.

The ceremonies are taking place at MDC's North Campus at 11380 Northwest 27th Avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and at the MEEC at 6300 Northwest 7th Avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.

"MDC proudly acknowledges the legacies and contributions so many Haitian Americans have made to our community," MDC North Campus President Dr. Malou Harrison said in a statement. "As we commemorate Haitian Flag Day, we hail the people of the Republic of Haiti and the diaspora for the global reach of their contributions."

Haiti - Delivery of the first urban solar power plant

GENINOV Group, a Canadian consulting engineering firm, with a subsidiary established in Haiti since 2009, has delivered to the Cellule Energie of the Ministry of Transport (MTPTC), his first complete solar system with a capacity of 100 kW to permanently illuminate the various places of Champ de Mars. The realization of this integrated high-tech system designed by GENINOV involves several renowned local and international actors. This pilot project was funded by the World Bank, which supports the actions of the Cellule Energie and Electricity of Haiti (EdH) to provide sustainable solutions to the major energy challenges of Haiti.

Enersa, specialized in the design and implementation of photovoltaic infrastructur  served as the right arm in the building and installation of the required infrastructure. The solar panels provided by Yingli and other electrical accessories are secured on the roof of Ciné Triomphe with the help of specialized partners such as Greentec and Electrotech. The photovoltaic component consists of 336 modules of 305 Weach, providing a total power of 102.5 kW, which will reduce the carbon footprint on the environment by 120 tonnes annually.

The solar panels are coupled to a containerized Intensium® Max 20E energy storage system, the latest generation of lithium-ion batteries powered by Saft, a world renowned company in design and manufacture of high technology batteries for industry . This facility will store the energy collected by the solar panels during periods of sunshine to power the entire Champ deMars the day and night. The autonomy offered by this assembly is estimated at 38 hours.

The power conversion system (DRI-100) was provided by Princeton Power Systems, a US based company with global stature, specializing in the design and manufacture of technology products for energy storage and microgrid operations. Princeton Power Systems is represented in Haiti by Home Control, a GENINOV’s partner in the research and testing of alternative solutions. The integrated monitoring system EMOS (energy monitoring and operating system) provided also by Princeton allows to constantly monitor and control the installation and perform remote interventions in order to maintain a stable, optimal and efficient supply.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 2 juin 2016

 Little Haiti To Be Renamed Little Haiti

May 26, 2016

On Thursday, the City of Miami Commission unanimously passed a resolution to officially name the neighborhood between 79th and 54th streets and NW 6th and NE 2nd Avenues as "Little Haiti." To most, officially recognizing "Little Haiti" is a no-brainer and a symbolic gesture that acknowledges the impact Haitian immigrants have had on our community.

But for real estate developer Phillip E. Breckinridge, the idea of officially naming the area that has been known as "Little Haiti" for 40 years "Little Haiti" is a travesty and bad for business. He believes the area should be known by its original, non-ethnic name "Lemon City".

"We need to respect the history of the area," said Mr. Breckinridge who purchased several investment properties in the Haitian community about 5-years ago and has watched his property's values stagnate due to the continued presence of Haitians, Bahamians, and African Americans in the area.

The area was initially called Lemon City in the 1800's when it was founded by several families. Starting in the 1970's, however, the community became known as "Little Haiti" after a wave of Haitian immigrants immigrated to the neighborhood and began to build the rich and vibrant cultural community it is today.

Speaking before the City Commission, Mr. Breckinridge and representatives of his group Developers objecting to unnecessary and costly historical enactments, asked the City Commission and the people of Little Haiti to "respect history.”

When asked by the Commission to address criticisms levied at him and others that their objection to Little Haiti's recognition was really an effort to minimize the ethnic identity of the neighborhood in order to hasten gentrification and increase property values, Mr. Breckinridge balked.

"There is really nothing racist or nefarious at all about our objecting to the name "Little Haiti," replied Mr. Breckinridge before mentioning that he had "a ton" of black friends.

"This is about respect for history," said Mr. Breckinridge who noted that he also supported similar proposals to force people to start calling things by their former, out-of-use names, including one that would cause Mohammad Ali to be renamed "Cassius Clay", and another that would change the name of New York to "New Amsterdam". "This is about tradition."

After the vote, an enraged Mr. Breckinridge returned to the area now officially known as Little Haiti and, in a last ditch effort, began to spray paint the words "LEMON CITY" on every sign, wall, or marker he could find. When confronted, Mr. Breckinridge said that he would never stop his efforts to have the land renamed Lemon City, noting that in order for him to get a reasonable return on his investment he needed at least a 40% increase in white residents to the area over the next 3-years. "White people just don't want to buy luxury condos in a place called Little Haiti," said Mr. Breckinridge candidly. "It's nothing personal."

800 Academics from the Caribbean are expected in Haiti

From June 5 to June 11, 2016, the Association of the Caribbean Studies (ACS) will have its 41^st annual conference in Haiti around the theme "Caribbean Movements in the world: people, ideas, culture, arts and economic durability." The launching ceremony will take place on June 5^th at the Marriott Hotel.

The African Union has 54 member states. And soon 55. Next month, Haiti will officially become a member

Yep, Haiti — in the Caribbean — will become part of Africa. It will be the first non-African country to join the AU bloc.

Culturally, though, a lot of people feel like the two are already joined.

“Haiti always calls itself ... a little piece of Africa in the Caribbean, so I think it’s only fitting that now they made it official,” said Garry Pierre-Pierre, publisher of the Brooklyn-basedHaitian Times.

“We share so much of the African culture from religious practices to the way we interact,” said Pierre-Pierre. “When I lived [in West Africa], it reminded me so much of Haiti, it was uncanny.”

The primary benefit for Haiti in joining the AU will be the economic ties.

“Haiti wants to develop a lot of industries, tourism one of them,” said Pierre-Pierre, a former New York Times reporter. “I think there are a lot of opportunities for commerce, for raw materials that are plentiful in Africa.”

It works both ways.

“As Africa develops industries it will be looking for markets, and Haiti will be one of them,” said Pierre-Pierre.

Beyond the economic ties that bind, joining the AU is for most Haitians a symbolic step — the unionhas been discussed for several years. Pierre-Pierre thinks that in 20 years, Haitians will look back on the decision and say, “What a brilliant move this was. What took it so long?” 

The Secretary of the Youth receives a South Korean delegation

The Secretary of the Youth, Sports and Civic Action, Abel Nazaire, received a delegation from the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), a South Korean youth organization committed to change the conditions of young people, to bring joy to their homes and transform the future in numerous countries.

New Haitian Ambassador to the OAS

Last Thursday, Luis Almagro, the General Secretary of the OAS, along with Assistant General Secretary Nestor Mendez, received the letters of credentials for the new permanent Haitian representative to the OAS, Ambassador Jean-Victor Harvel Jean Baptiste. In this post, Jean Baptiste replaces Ambassador Bocchit Edmond, who was transferred to London where he is going to represent the Republic of Haiti, after having spent four and-a-half years at the OAS.

Haitian Red Cross throws the operation anti-Zika

Last Wednesday, at the Haitian Red Cross (CRH) training center in Port-au-Prince, an anti-Zika operation was launched.

The Haitian Red Cross will mobilize a vast operation which includes, mobilizing the community, the distribution of materials and the fumigation of certain zones identified by the Ministry of Health as being vulnerable communities with regard to the Zika virus.

This action plan has the backing of the American Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross, Red Crescent and UNICEF.

It should reminded that the last time the ministry updated the media on the number of Zika cases, there were about 2,000 cases in the country at the time.

The Cholera Epidemic continues to cause fatalities in Haiti

Health authorities confirmed last week the death of 8 people who contracted cholera during the first 3 weeks of May.

Three of those deaths occurred in health facilities and the other five were in the community, indicated Katilia Pierre, a representative of the Minister of Public Health (MSPP).

Between May 1^st and May 21^st, a total of 1,666 cases were recorded by health institutions. Out of those, 1,397 were hospitalized, informed Pierre. She added that four departments are on red alert for having recorded at least 10 cases of cholera and one death over a one week period.

Haiti - Delivery of the first urban solar power plant

GENINOV Group, a Canadian consulting engineering firm, with a subsidiary established in Haiti since 2009, has delivered to the Cellule Energie of the Ministry of Transport (MTPTC), his first complete solar system with a capacity of 100 kW to permanently illuminate the various places of Champ de Mars. The realization of this integrated high-tech system designed by GENINOV involves several renowned local and international actors. This pilot project was funded by the World Bank, which supports the actions of the Cellule Energie and Electricity of Haiti (EdH) to provide sustainable solutions to the major energy challenges of Haiti.

Enersa, specialized in the design and implementation of photovoltaic infrastructur  served as the right arm in the building and installation of the required infrastructure. The solar panels provided by Yingli and other electrical accessories are secured on the roof of Ciné Triomphe with the help of specialized partners such as Greentec and Electrotech. The photovoltaic component consists of 336 modules of 305 Weach, providing a total power of 102.5 kW, which will reduce the carbon footprint on the environment by 120 tonnes annually.

The solar panels are coupled to a containerized Intensium® Max 20E energy storage system, the latest generation of lithium-ion batteries powered by Saft, a world renowned company in design and manufacture of high technology batteries for industry . This facility will store the energy collected by the solar panels during periods of sunshine to power the entire Champ deMars the day and night. The autonomy offered by this assembly is estimated at 38 hours.

The power conversion system (DRI-100) was provided by Princeton Power Systems, a US based company with global stature, specializing in the design and manufacture of technology products for energy storage and microgrid operations. Princeton Power Systems is represented in Haiti by Home Control, a GENINOV’s partner in the research and testing of alternative solutions. The integrated monitoring system EMOS (energy monitoring and operating system) provided also by Princeton allows to constantly monitor and control the installation and perform remote interventions in order to maintain a stable, optimal and efficient supply.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 14 juin 2016

 Statement by Mark C. Toner,

Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department

on the electoral process in Haiti

Le 8 juin 2016

The United States regrets the decision by the Provisional Electoral Council to restart the presidential elections from the first round. This will increase time and resources needed to complete the 2015 electoral process and further delay installation of a constitutionally elected president. The Haitian people deserve to have their voices heard, not deferred. The United States regrets that the electoral process has extended yet again, with the president-elect unlikely to be installed before February 7th, 2017.

As noted in the June 6 Core Group statement, Haiti has an urgent need to have elected representatives at all levels of government, including at the most senior level. We look forward to the prompt seating of a democratically elected president who can work with the United States and with other partners to address the many challenges facing Haiti. The United States welcomes steps to make Haitian elections more credible and more transparent.

SANDRA HONORÉ, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL IN HAITI

Port-au-Prince, June 11th, 2016 - The special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Haiti (RSSG), Sandra Honoré, implores for all the Haitian leaders to maintain a constructive approach to insure the continuity of governance at every level and pursue the electoral process such as planned.

In this context, the RSSG expected that the Parliament will meet in National Assembly to open the second ordinary session of the legislative of the year on June 13^th, as required by the Constitution.

3 FIU medical students bring healthcare mission to Haiti

BY JEFFREY PIERRE

Special to the Miami Herald

There were hundreds of people waiting outside — some since the night before, others who had walked for hours to get a good spot in line for something the average Haitian struggles to secure: a simple medical checkup.

Stevenson Chery, Yves-Dany Accilien and Samuel Jean-Baptiste, three medical school students from Florida International University, joined a team of 17 other students and medical professionals to provide physicals, dispense prescription medicine and leave behind basic instruments such as blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes. During their trip last year to Cap-Haïtien, a city on Haiti’s northern coast, they set up a clinic in a school and saw 368 patients over two days.

For the three Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine students — Chery, Accilien and Jean-Baptiste — the medical mission was a chance to return to their home country and help. Through a nonprofit the three formed, KORE Haiti, they’re facilitating trips for medical school students and healthcare professionals to Haiti, a country where 40 percent of the population lacks access to essential healthcare and where only 45 percent of children are vaccinated, according to a January Health Fact Sheet from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“A lot of times, nonprofits travel to Haiti and say ‘OK, this is what we’re bringing,’” said Chery, 24, a second-year medical school student. “What we found is that the most important thing is to go and talk to people and find out what they need and what they want.”

KORE returned again in April, with two groups of almost 50 students, medical professional volunteers and hired staff. They also began offering dental services for the first time, recognizing how poor oral health can impact cardiovascular conditions.

“Haiti needs a lot when it comes to healthcare,” Chery said. “Public health is a big concern. Unless the person is really sick, they’re probably not going to seek medical help.”

For Chery, his decision to become a doctor was rooted in Haitians’ lack of access to healthcare. His mother lost a baby after she was turned away at a local hospial because she didn’t have the money to pay for her care. He was about 4 years old.

“It was devastating, knowing that I could have lost my mother,’’ he says today.

The average Haitian, who lives on $1 to $2 a day, can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $50 to be seen by a doctor in a small clinic, said Marjorie Lozama, current chair of international affairs for the Haitian American Nurses Association’s Florida chapter.

Lozama, who has traveled to Haiti as a nurse since 2005, said there is no free care available in the country.

“So the Haitians, they usually rely on their home remedies,” Lozama said. But herbal remedies — usually taken as a tea or soup— are usually ineffective against most diseases and illnesses.

“We’ve seen some people who don’t know what hypertension, diabetes or a stroke is,” Lozama said. “Yes, we can give them three to six months of medication but what about after that, after we leave?”

In its 2016 report, USAID found that government expenditures represented only 10 percent of the funding toward healthcare in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Haiti still “reports some of the world’s worst health indicators” and the country’s infrastructure was worsened after “the 2010 earthquake, which demolished 50 health centers,” according to USAID.

The earthquake, while devastating, was only part of the problem. Ten months after the Jan. 12, 2010, quake, the first cases of cholera began appearing, soon leading to an epidemic. Studies have concluded that cholera, which spreads through contaminated food or water, was most likely introduced by U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal, where the disease is endemic.

The Zika virus, too, has also impacted Haiti. In fact, researchers at the University of Florida have theorized that the mosquito-borne virus had entered Haiti in December 2015, three months before Brazilian scientists confirmed the virus in the South American country. And the KORE team encountered a rare and contained case of leprosy last year during their trip.

The KORE team hopes to combat some of these issues by persuading medical professionals to work in the country. Attracting and retaining medical professionals is a large problem, according to the USAID report, with “as few as four health professionals per 10,000 people.’’

“The professionals who are educated in Haiti are going to the [United States], Canada or going to France. They’re just leaving Haiti in general,” said Jean-Baptiste, 24. “We are coming to the country to educate people but we also want to empower people to stay and give back.”

TWO HAITIANS ADMITTED IN THE COAST GARD ACADEMY

Last Thursday, during a ceremony organized to the Embassy of the United States, the Ambassador to Haiti, Peter F. Mulrean, in the presence of Haitian government officials, including the Minister of Justice and Law and order, Camille Edouard Junior and the Director of the National Police force of Haiti, Michel-Angel Gédéon, celebrated the admission of two young Haitians, Naissa Lindsey Pierre and Pierre Erick Wawa, to United States Coast Guard Academy Class of 2020 International Cadet Program. It is the first time that Haitians participate in this program which exists since 1971.

Ambassador Mulrean congratulated Pierre and Wawa for their dynamism and their commitment throughout the selection process. He also praised the support of the various government entities, particularly the Ministry of the Interior and Collective Regions, the Ministry of Justice and the Law and Order and the National Police Force of Haiti (PNH) for the outcome of this program.

In his speech, Ambassador Mulrean declared "Today, we celebrate the beginning of a promising journey for the future two leaders of the National police force of Haiti… We also salute the commitment of the Haitian government and the office of the Prime Minister as well as the efforts of the PNH to support Naissa and Pierre throughout their studies at the academy and in their future career in the PNH. With the continuous commitment of the American and Haitian governments, Naissa and Pierre will achieve big things with the United States Coast Guard and in the PNH."

Let us recall that the Coast Guard Academy is one of the four military academies in the United States which offers four years of training in Civil engineering, Electric Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine engineering, Operational Research, Environmental and Marine Sciences, Government, Mechanical Engineering and Management. It is a program intensive from the first cycle resulting in a bachelor’s of sciences degree. The program, associated with military and leadership training, allows the graduates to assume roles of responsibility in the maritime service and in the government.

This program was opened to Haitians in 2014. In 2015, dozens of candidates applied for the program and Naissa Lindsey Pierre and Pierre Erick Wawa were the two candidates who demonstrated the capacities and the skills required to participate in it.

To be selected, the candidates have to undergo a series of examinations including the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or the American College Test (ACT) and pass the Test of English has Foreign Language (TOEFL) or English Comprehension Level (ECL).

The candidates will leave Haiti very soon to begin their training in the United States. They will return to serve their country by working in the National police force of Haiti (PNH) and the Coastal Guard.

THE ON THE ALERT NATIONAL PNH

Following information from reliable government sources, the Haitian government claims to be preparing for imminent attacks by armed commando squads against schools, public buildings and gas stations, while the Ministry of Justice decided to suspend temporarily all the gun licenses on the whole Haitian territory.

"The Ministry of Justice and Law and order, notifies the public, generally, and the interested, in particular, that, according to decision of the Upper Council of the National police force (CSPN), on June 9th, 2016, all the gun licenses are temporarily suspended, on the whole of the territory.”

“Formal instructions were given to law enforcement, with the aim of the strict application of this measure."

This measure, which will be reevaluated according to the evolution of the situation, concerns everybody, all of the country’s institutions, including the security companies, with the exception of the National Police Force and the UN peacekeeping force who are authorized to circulate with firearms, specified Minister of Justice Camille Junior Edouard. He did not want to specify if this was about organized crime or about a hidden political agenda, explaining only that this was a very well organized high-level criminal organization...

At the level of the borders, the controls were reinforced following diverse information, stating an important increase of arms dealing and the PNH is on a national alert.

This decision was poorly received by the population and business owners who expressed that criminals do not seek weapon licenses to commit their crimes. On social media, this measure is also under fire by critics, and considered as insane...

THE MAX BLANCHET BLOG

Berkeley

California

6.09.2016

HAITI – Fifty-Nine Years of Hurricanes (1954-2013)

Some facts and comments:

§  During the last 59 years, Haiti was hit by 26 hurricanes, or approximately one hurricane every 2.3 years. In the last 15 years, the frequency has increased to one hurricane every 2 years.

§  2008 has been exceptional to date in that 3 hurricanes and one tropical storm – Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Fay -- have hit the country over a period of 4 weeks from mid August until mid September. Three hurricanes have also hit Haiti in 2007. This could very well be the result of global warming, which is projected by some researchers to increase both the frequency and strength of hurricanes in that part of the world. 

§  Most of the hurricanes have been of Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 3 hurricane produces maximum winds of 111-130 miles per hour and storm surges of 9-12 feet above normal sea level. See the chart below for a complete definition of the 5 categories of the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The category given for each hurricane listed on the chart below reflects its strength at its peak, which did not necessarily occur while the hurricane crossed Haiti.

§  Most hurricanes (12 out of 24) have hit the Southern Peninsula or parts of it; eleven (10) have hit the northern parts of the country and the others its center.

§  The loss of human life has amounted to 18,286 fatalities, mostly in the Caribbean and the US, with 11,667 (63.8%) occurring in Haiti alone.

§  The impact on Haiti has been particularly dramatic over the years for three reasons:

i) Rapid demographic growth resulting in the doubling of the population during that time frame, from 4.7 million to 10.4 million today. Haiti’s demographic density is 385 inhabitants per square kilometer. Corresponding figures for Cuba and the Dominican Republic are 97 and 192 respectively *).

ii) A massive migration from the countryside to the cities where 50% of the population (5.2 million) reside today. In Port-au-Prince alone the population has grown from 200,000 to 3.0 million today. This has led to the chaotic growth of urban areas with flimsy construction taking place wherever land is available -- on steep slopes, dangerously close to ravines and gullies, and on flood plains.

iii) Massive deforestation: forest coverage has decreased from approximately 50% in the 1950’s to less than 2% today.

§  All in all, these hurricanes have caused economic damages amounting to 109 billion dollars (2008 US $) mostly in the Caribbean and the United States. The figures for Haiti are not available although it is worth noting that Ike has caused damages estimated at 180 million dollars in the agricultural sector alone, according to Mr. Gué, the Minister of Agriculture.

§  It is interesting to contrast the situation in Haiti with that in Cuba where a strong central government, seconded by equally strong local governments, has managed to control the grave problems confronting Haiti: rapid demographic growth, unbridled migration to the cities and deforestation. In addition, the Cuban government has been able to move large number of people to safe locations where their basic needs (shelter, security, food and health care) were met ahead of approaching hurricanes and during their passage. For example, shortly before Ike’s landfall one fifth of Cuba’s population (2.3 million) was moved to safe areas and shelters.  Even large farm animals were moved to safe areas. As a result the human fatality rate in Cuba has been only a small fraction of what it has been in Haiti.

§  Unless comprehensive, effective, muscular, and sustained measures are taken to deal with these problems and the related issue of the general inadequacy of governance in the country, we can look forward to similar calamities in the future.

§  To conclude I will tell two anecdotes regarding hurricanes in Haiti. In 1954, following the passage of Hazel in the Southwest, then President Paul Magloire sent a relief czar to Jérémie to manage the reconstruction and cleanup of the area. So enraged were the Jérémiens over his insensitivity, incompetence, and corruption that they sent a telegram to Magloire asking that he be recalled. Closer to us, in 2004, Jeanne devastated Gonaïves where at the very least 3000 people died and hundreds of thousands displaced. Unfortunately, as it happened so often in Haiti, the reconstruction and cleanup work was contracted out to private firms on the basis of zanmitaj and fanmitaj with little regard for the competence of these outfits and with the predictable result that the work was poorly or not at all executed.

Will the new government learn from these lessons and do what is right in terms of initiating the monumental task of restoring Haiti’s environment in a systematic and honest manner?

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 22 juin 2016

 Senator: Red Cross Misled Congress, Refused To ‘Level With the People’ on Haiti Money

“One of the reasons they don’t want to answer the questions is it’s very embarrassing,” says Sen. Charles Grassley, who just finished a yearlong investigation of the Red Cross.

by Justin Elliott, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR, June 16, 2016

This story was co-published with NPR.

A blistering Senate report on the American Red Cross raises fundamental questions about the integrity of the country’s most storied charity and its stewardship of donors’ dollars.

The report, which was released today by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and contains nearly 300 pages of supporting documents, found:

                  After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Red Cross spent tens of millions of dollars more than it has previously acknowledged on internal expenses. The Red Cross told Grassley that the money was largely spent on oversight to make sure the Haiti aid was used properly. But Grassley’s office found that the charity “is unable to provide any financial evidence that oversight activities in fact occurred."

                  Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern made false statements to Grassley’s office about whether the charity cooperated with congressional investigators.

                  McGovern and her subordinates have kept the charity’s own internal investigations and ethics unit “severely undermanned and underfunded.” The charity is “reluctant to support the very unit that is designed to police wrongdoing within the organization.”

There are “substantial and fundamental concerns about (the Red Cross) as an organization,” the report concludes.

In an interview about the report, Grassley said that even after a year of back-and-forth with the Red Cross, “we did not get satisfactory answers. It was like pulling teeth.”

Grassley launched his investigation following stories by ProPublica and NPR on Red Cross failures in providing disaster relief, including after the Haiti earthquake. The group raised nearly half a billion dollars after the disaster, more than any other nonprofit. But our reporting found that, for example, an ambitious plan to build housing resulted in just six permanent homes.

Red Cross officials, including McGovern, have repeatedly told the public that the charity retains 9 percent of donations to cover management and administrative costs. But Grassley found that a full 25 percent of donations — or around $125 million — were spent on fundraising and management, a contingency fund, and a vague, catchall category the Red Cross calls “program costs.”

On top of that 25 percent, the Red Cross sent the bulk of the donated money to other nonprofits to do the work on the ground. Those other nonprofits then took their own cuts for overhead costs — as much as 11 percent.

Over a year of written exchanges with Grassley’s staff, the Red Cross repeatedly revised its figures for the same projects.

“The most important thing (from the report) is an unwillingness to level with the people about exactly where the money went,” Grassley said in the interview. “There’s too many questions in regard to how the money was spent in Haiti that it gives me cause to wonder about money being donated for other national disasters.”

“One of the reasons they don’t want to answer the questions is it’s very embarrassing,” Grassley added.

In a statement, the Red Cross said that while it has not yet seen the senator’s report, the charity and McGovern have been transparent, and donors’ money was properly spent. The statement says the costs of the projects are “entirely justifiable given the size and complexity of the Haiti program, the scale of the destruction and the challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions of working in Haiti.”

The Red Cross was created by congressional charter more than a century ago, and receives a range of special benefits from the government.

In response to Grassley’s investigation, the Red Cross for the first time posted online a list of specific projects in Haiti. But the accounting on the list, along with other materials provided to Grassley, raises more questions than it answers.

Documents provided by the Red Cross to Grassley show that the charity at times spent large sums of money on management even when it appeared to be simply writing a check to other organizations that were doing actual projects.

In 2010, the Red Cross gave $4.3 million to its sister organization, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) for disaster preparedness work. On top of the $4.3 million, according to budget figures the charity provided Grassley, the American Red Cross spent another $2 million on its own — to “manage” granting money to another organization.

The IFRC then took out its own overhead and administrative costs before using the money to help Haitians.

When asked why the Red Cross needed $2 million dollars to give money to its sister organization, the group said in its statement the costs were “incurred to ensure accountability, monitoring and evaluation of work performed and ensure our partners meet their contractual requirements.”

The Red Cross added that “Implementing a tracking system by project would take a lot of time and would be a waste of donor dollars that could be better spent on delivering services.”

In 2014, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., of the House Homeland Security Committee asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the Red Cross’ disaster services, in part because of problems in its response to Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

McGovern recently told Grassley’s investigators that the Red Cross “gave [the GAO] everything that they asked for.”

That statement was untrue, according to the report: “This is contrary to the documentary evidence of communications between GAO and [the Red Cross].”

The Red Cross, the committee found, “failed to provide to GAO a substantial volume of requested material.”

The report lists eight examples of things the Red Cross declined to provide to government investigators. They range from descriptions of the charity’s internal oversight processes to interviews with chapter officials involved in the response to Superstorm Sandy.

Grassley’s report found that while the Red Cross couldn’t kill the investigation, it “was able to limit the scope of the GAO’s inquiry."

The Red Cross undercut its own ethics unit

The Red Cross has about 20,000 employees. But its ethics office, which investigates waste, fraud, and abuse, is composed of just three people, according to the Grassley report. That’s down from roughly 65 staffers a decade ago.

One of the three remaining employees, the “compliance coordinator,” does intake of phone calls and does not do investigations. Another, the chief investigator, is based in New York, away from Red Cross headquarters in Washington.

Requests by the head of the unit, Teala Brewer, for more staff have gone unfulfilled by the general counsel, Meltzer, according to the report.

The report concludes that the Office of Investigations, Compliance, and Ethics was left so under-resourced that it is “unable to perform its primary function; namely, to perform investigations, ensure compliance, and maintain ethical standards.”

Update, Jun. 17, 2016: The Red Cross has released a full response to Grassley’s report.

US Official Recognizes Haiti’s Interim Leader for Now

The U.S. State Department's special coordinator for Haiti said Thursday (June 16) that he recognizes Jocelerme Privert as the troubled country's interim president for now even though the divided Parliament is avoiding a vote on potentially extending his expired mandate.

In a phone call with reporters, Kenneth Merten was asked by The Associated Press if the U.S. still recognized Privert as Haiti's provisional leader even though his 120-day mandate ended midnight Tuesday under the terms of a negotiated accord that brought him to power.

Merten responded: "I would have to say I would recognize him as the interim president of Haiti" at this time. But he stressed that Haitian electoral authorities should "act soon to clarify" who the country's provisional leader is moving forward.

The U.S. official's comments are significant because a Haitian opposition coalition insists that Privert is unlawfully holding onto power and is exhorting the international community, Haiti's police force and civil society to view him as entirely illegitimate. The United States is Haiti's largest donor and trading partner and has long had influence here.

At a Thursday press conference at an upscale hotel in Port-au-Prince, opposition leader Evans Paul called on people across the Caribbean country of just over 10 million to join together to demand Privert's departure. Paul is a veteran politician and former prime minister in ex-President Michel Martelly's administration.

But this week's planned street protests by Martelly's Tet Kale political faction failed to materialize in Haiti's capital. While some anti-Privert demonstrations have taken place outside the capital in recent days, the country is largely calm amid this latest phase of politician-stoked discord.

Also failing to materialize for a third straight day was a National Assembly vote on Privert's fate. Lawmakers are tasked with deciding whether to extend Privert's mandate until new presidential elections can be held or pave the way for new interim leader.

Cholzer Chancy, the acting leader of the National Assembly, has demanded that senators and deputies return to Parliament to vote. But many legislators aren't paying any attention to him and are instead continuing with their backroom negotiations and delays.

Meanwhile, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is deeply concerned over Haiti's continuing political uncertainty and called on legislators to urgently decide on a provisional government "that can ensure the completion of the electoral process and a return to full constitutional order without further delays."

In a Wednesday national address, Privert insisted his fragile government had things under control and said he would stay in office until the divided Parliament voted. In February, a majority of members elected him as a short-term interim leader amid suspended elections and another institutional vacuum in the presidency.

"My government is still working. I am available to go to Parliament as soon as they are ready to make a decision," Privert said in the televised address.

Haitian electoral officials recently announced that a new presidential election will be held in October with safeguards to avoid the fraud that marred last year's voting. But Merten said the U.S. was "disappointed" with this decision because impoverished Haiti could have avoided the leadership muddle it finds itself in now if it had stuck to agreed-upon timetables earlier.

"The longer it takes for Haiti to have a democratically elected president, the longer it will take for the United States to consider renewed partnerships to help Haiti confront its mounting economic, climatic, and health challenges," he said.

Dominican Republic: 130,000 more Haitian immigrants are in a situation of uncertainty

More than 130,000 Haitian immigrants, who benefited from the National Plan of Regularization for Foreigners (PNRE), are to be expelled from the Dominican Republic, as the temporary one year permit giving the right to the Haitian nationals to become established on Dominican territory expires on July 18^th, 2016, learned GARR.

The Haitian immigrants affected by this measure will need to settle their status in the main office of  Dominican Immigration before the scheduled date, stated the Major General Rubén Darío Paulino Sem, the General Director of Dominican migration during a recent interview with the Dominican press.

Former temporary license, certificate of non-penal history, medical examination, and a cost of 14,000-peso, are among some of the requirements put upon the Haitian nationals within the framework of the regularization process.

It should be noted that from June 17^th, 2015, the date when the PNRE came to an end, until the second week of June 2016, GARR observed an intensification of repatriations. During this period, 112,625 people were documented crossing the border in inhumane conditions. Among them 69,677 returned on their own accord and 42,948 were repatriated. This does not take into account the thousands of others who were not recorded.

However, due to a lack of real social programs to give to Haitian citizens a desire to stay in Haiti, many haven’t stopped, at their own risk, from going to the nearby territory where they risked being killed or victimized by the Dominicans.

The most recent case occurred on June 13^th, 2016. Kénol Unise. also known as Edson, a 29 –year-old Haitian national from Cerca-la-Souce, received two shots in the right thigh from the weapon of Dominican Sergeant Francisco Antonio Familia. The aggressor, who was assigned to the border post of Bánica in the Dominican province of Elias Piña's province, was quickly transferred to another military post with complete immunity, where he will be protected by his peers.

This regrettable incident arose as the victim went to the Dominican side to go work in a plantation in the zone of Bánica, a route which he made on a daily basis. However, on this day, he was refused access because he did not want to give any money to the Dominican serviceman. The latter shot him after having assaulted him verbally, according to eyewitnesses. His life was saved thanks to his parents, who transported him to a hospital in San Juan. His health is still at risk, advised a member of the Border Network Jeannot Succès (RFJS).

The GARR believes that it's time for the Haitian and Dominican governments to adopt measures to enforce the rights of Haitian workers who must cross the border.

It calls upon the Haitian government to reach an agreement with Dominican authorities to reach a moratorium to avoid the worsening of the migratory crisis if the migrants do not manage to satisfy the requirements of the Dominican authorities within the one month period that they have been granted.

D.R. – HAITI Eviction of those without documents, according to Amnesty: it is a shared irresponsibility

This report titled "Where are we going to live? Migratory flow and Statelessness in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic" published on June 14^th, identifies clearly the negligence with which both governments managed the evictions and the supposedly spontaneous returns.

"One of the gravest consequences of this problem is the eviction from their own country of Dominicans of Haitian origin, in violation of the Dominican Republic’s obligation regarding international law. The Dominican Republic did not make public its protocol of eviction nor its methods," underlined the document

Furthermore, during 10 months, more than two hundred thousand people were left to their fate in camps in the region of Anse-à-Pitres. All this is due to bad planning and a lack of reaction and initiative on behalf of the Haitian authorities. The report also singles out organizations and international donors who gave very little interest to the matter.

Amnesty International made 3 big recommendations to both countries to remedy this situation: modify the Draft agreement on the mechanisms of repatriation, concluded in 1999; conclude a protocol of return; and implement it, to facilitate the legal return to the Dominican Republic of the Dominicans of Haitian origin, and the Haitian migrants expelled in any arbitrary way. Lastly, ratify and apply the Agreement relative to the status of the stateless persons and the Agreement on the reduction of the cases of statelessness.