Tag: Haiti

Partnership in Action: Lessons Learned Following Haiti Floods

by | 10.21.2011 at 9:59am | 3 Comments
A boy stands in front of his home after the floods have receded, in Coteaux. There, fast-moving flood waters brought silt and debris along with them. After the waters receded, the heavy rubble was left behind.

Flood relief efforts, immediate needs assessments, and coordinated damage assessments in Haiti’s Côte Sud region are underway following the rains and flooding that began October 9 and continued through October 11. The Earth Institute Haiti team, working through the CSI partnership, Millennium Village Project (MVP) sector leads, and with the Government of Haiti, are jointly [...]

Partnership Framework Supports Haiti Flood Relief

by | 10.19.2011 at 9:09pm | 3 Comments
Towns along the river, particularly in the lower portions of the watershed, are particularly vulnerable to extremely rapid and dangerous flooding. Here, the town of Port-à-Piment, the primary urban center of the watershed, is flooded.

Recent heavy rains and consequent flooding in Haiti’s Côte Sud region—the site of the Côte Sud Initiative (CSI) and Port-à-Piment, designated as the first Millennium Village in the Western Hemisphere— required the not yet fully formed team to leverage the CSI partnership framework to help coordinate an immediate and ultimately lifesaving emergency response. The first of a two-part blog.

Undersea Clues to Haiti’s Earthquake History

by | 7.21.2011 at 12:50pm | 1 Comment
McHughetal2011_Geology_Fig4y

For all of its violent destruction, the earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, hardly scratched the surface of the island. But scientists now say they have found some of the best clues to understanding the quake under water.

Haiti’s Charcoal Challenge

by | 3.24.2011 at 9:56am | 6 Comments
Landscape around Guillaume village

Three Columbia University graduate students recently spent a week in Haiti trying to understand the nuances of the charcoal production process. The study site was in the Port-à-Piment watershed of the South Department where local people are on the front lines of climate, agricultural, and water challenges.

Charcoal, Construction and Coffins: Tracing Links from Disasters to Deforestation in Haiti

by | 12.15.2010 at 4:55pm | 3 Comments
Photo of a donkey carrying bags of charcoal from the upper watershed towards Port-á-Piment town.

Reliance on fuel wood in the Port-à-Piment watershed area of Haiti—a contributing factor to deforestation there—may be exacerbated by natural disasters.

Plastic Bottles, Compost Toilets and Rainwater Catchment: Simple Solutions for Haiti’s Clean Water Crisis

by | 12.1.2010 at 12:58pm | 2 Comments
Haitians waiting for potable water shipped in from the Dominican Republic. Source: Pan American Health Organization

There are many other low-cost, high-impact approaches to alleviating the clean water crises in places like Haiti, so it’s worth mentioning a few.

Haiti Regeneration Initiative Team Resumes Research

by | 10.6.2010 at 4:13pm
IMG_0286

Post-earth quake, the project team for the Haiti Regeneration Initiative (HRI) resumes fieldwork in the Haitian countryside. Program coordinator Alex Fischer is interviewed.

Supporting Continued Rebuilding Efforts in Haiti

by | 8.4.2010 at 3:05pm
Vegetable Garden Demonstration Plot in Port Salut_150

The Countess Moira Charitable Foundation, longtime supporter of our Earth Clinic, has made a gift to support two projects in Haiti to improve crop yields through the use of test plots and agricultural extension training.

An Active Hurricane Season Predicted

by | 6.2.2010 at 7:38pm

The IRI’s latest forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season, which started June 1, points to significantly increased hurricane activity this year. In fact, the likelihood of having an above-normal year is more than three times that of having a below-normal year. This could spell trouble for highly vulnerable Caribbean nations such as Haiti – still [...]

Environmental Regeneration in Haiti: the Water Problem

by | 4.30.2010 at 3:05pm | 3 Comments

Columbia Water Center research scientist Lior Asaf is working in Haiti to understand the existing environmental conditions, and look for ways to improve people’s lives for the long term. One part of the project focuses on the Port Piment watershed basin on the southwestern end of the island.