Major David Bazile, Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, accompanied by Mrs. Alta Jean Baptiste, Director of Civil Protection and Ardouin Zepherin, Departmental Delegate North, proceeded recently at the inauguration of the Emergency Operations Center Departmental (COUD) of North (Vaudreuil), in the presence of the Ambassador of the United States in Haiti, Pamela White, and several parliamentarians who made the displacement in Vaudreuil.

In his speech for the occasion, the Minister Bazile indicated that the establishment of this center had a special character, given the vulnerability of this department to flooding due to bad weather and major natural hazards.

These buildings were built as part of the Humanitarian Assistance Program of the U.S. Southern Command, in collaboration with the U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Haiti’s National Emergency Operations Center and Minister of the Interior and Territorial Collectivities. A total of 11 Emergency Operations Centers are built throughout the country totaling an investment of more than USD 34 million, to support Haitian efforts to better protect the population and to better respond to emergencies.

Note that this COUD, which was designed to withstand winds of 200 km / h is the 10th center built across the country, a initiative welcomed by the Departmental Delegate North, Ardouin Zéphirin. The construction of the COUD, of a warehouse and a fire station, was funded to the tune of $ 2 million by the U.S. government.

Ambassador White declared "This Center, including its warehouse and Fire station, is a testament to the Government of Haiti’s commitment to extend basic emergency services to its citizens. We look forward to continuing this successful partnership with members of the international community to assist the people of Haiti by building and enhancing their ability to prepare for and respond to disasters [...]"

The Minister Bazile, stressed that "The Center is a tangible sign of the great solidarity of the U.S. Government and the American people towards the people of Haiti."

HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre