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Last Updated: Nov 13th, 2008 - 09:13:10 |
Tortola, BVI, November 12, 2008 (DDM) – According to Associated Press reports, a school collapsed in Petionville , Haiti on Sunday the 9 th of November. It has been reported that approximately 500 children may have been trapped when the walls of the three-storey school building buckled. Persons throughout the world watched as rescue workers frantically tried to save possible survivors. The school housed classes from the nursery level to the secondary level. It has been confirmed that 92 persons have died; however hundreds are still trapped. Rescue operations were hampered by the passage of Hurricane Paloma, the instability of the impact site and difficulty in getting equipment through the dense crowds that gathered. In addition, houses situated near the impacted zone also collapsed. It is suspected that the school was poorly built and had structural defects.
On Monday 10 th November, it was announced that the rescue efforts had ceased and the recovery of bodies had commenced. Many parents in Haiti are expressing their anger at the Government for not implementing stricter building codes for schools. Other parents are pleading for authorities to release their children’s bodies for burial. In an effort to ensure that no further collapse occurred, the Ministry of Education in Haiti has announced the upcoming inspection of 9,500 public and private schools.
Further tragedy is facing the people of Haiti, as it was reported earlier today that a second school has collapsed. At least 9 people have been taken to the hospital; emergency workers are currently digging through the rubble in search of other victims. Fortunately, most of the students were on a break from classes at the time of the collapse. It appears that the cause of this collapse is similar to the one that occurred just 5 days ago.
Haiti is classified as the poorest country in the Americas . During this year alone, it has been hit by four tropical storms and hurricanes that killed more that 800 people and destroyed 60% of its crops. Although the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations (UN) teams are on the ground, neighboring islands such as Martinique and the Dominican Republic have been providing assistance. There is still a need for a tremendous amount of aid in light of the severity of the disaster.
Local agencies such as the BVI Red Cross have been coordinating relief efforts on behalf of the people of Haiti. A number of churches have also launched their own appeals and are making efforts to send supplies and monetary donations to their counterparts in Haiti. Persons wishing to donate to this cause can contact Deniese Gardener at the BVI Red Cross at 494-6349.
The DDM continues to work with the Ministry of Education and Private Institutions, from Day Care facilities to Secondary Schools, to encourage development and the use of disaster management plans, and to ensure that adequate maintenance programmes are in place. Examples of this work done in 2007-2008 were the training of Day Care workers in Basic First Aid and Fire Suppression, along with the development of a Disaster Management Plan template for pre-schools. A consultant will be assisting the Schools in developing their individual Plans.
Contact:
Natasha Lettsome, Information & Training Manager
Department of Disaster Management
#3 Wailing Road MacNamara
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Phone: 284-468-4200
Fax: 284-494-2024
E-Mail: bviddm@surfbvi.com, NLettsome@gov.vg
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