HAITI: from urgency to urgency

From the day after the earthquake, NGO(NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION) got organized in the departure of their first missionaries. Exploratory mission, mission of evaluation, first-aid mission, country hospital and surgical plateau implementation, etc. …

In a few days, several tens of persons left, either directly to Port aux Princes, or indirectly by St Domingue.

In front of the disaster, the human and material consequences of the earthquake in Haiti, and the scope of it , a question remain for the NGO : the safety of their expatriates.

Often, the recruitment realized in a short period of time does not allow a deep analysis of the status or the nationality of the person leaving in mission. Urgency orders everything.

Thanks to MBA insurance and rapatriement plan, these situations are taken into account :

Sanitary situation: in addition to previous risks of epidemic and tropical diseases specific to HAITI, diseases related to maximum insalubrity occur.

Risk situations : in addition to previous risk of insecurity related to the endemic poverty of this country, others risks appear : the collapse of buildings built in Port aux Princes and the other close cities, the search at all costs for foodstuffs or for a simple bottle of drinking water sometimes the weapon in hand, in the riots of the hunger, make a major insecurity reign for all.

Political situation: airport infrastructures completely saturated under Americans command - inaccessible harbour and destroyed cranes - lack of the Haitian police - partially destroyed hospital - lack of medical staff - etc. …

Our partner the company ACE Assistance – used to difficult situation notably because of the location of our insured in difficult, isolated or in war places of the planet – immediatly set up a emergency unit - set up procedures of evacuation in Haiti itself and in St Domingue, -strengthened its medical and logistic presence in these two countries, in contact with the French MAE as well as the European Community.

Our partner AMARANTE International - specialised in security issues and of the vulnerability of the staffs abroad - in dialogue with the Support organization and our customers NGO(NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION) and OSI - being able to intervene within 24 hours on zone, to help and face the most complex situations as well as the most dangerous, and to insure the safety of the persons or their evacuation of the country of mission.


Michel BOUZIAT