Innovations in disaster response and recovery continue four years after Haiti's earthquake

When disasters strike and the world rushes to help, emergency responders often feel the pressure to rebuild quickly, but building back better takes time. That’s why the Red Cross sent state-of-the-art emergency medical teams to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake four years ago, and again months later when cholera broke out across the country. These shorter-term missions allowed us to provide life-saving care to families in need, while also taking the time to properly plan longer-term recovery projects to help communities not just return to their pre-earthquake lives, but to actually improve families’ lives for many years to come.

That long-term vision gives rise to innovations in the way we run recovery programs, and in the physical construction of buildings like homes for displaced families, and health care facilities. The Haiti Integrated Health Program has recently completed construction on primary health centres in communities in Jacmel. The structures will provide life-saving care to families in the region, with a focus on mothers’ and children’s health. The health centres were built with innovations that took into account Haiti’s specific needs.


Self-ventilating walls eliminate the need for air conditioning and improve lighting in a country where electricity is very expensive, and unreliable; and back-up generators allow the facility to carry out critical procedures when the electricity is out. The design and construction materials were chosen to be safer in earthquakes and hurricanes. Human waste is treated on the centres’ grounds, taking into account Haiti’s limited garbage and sewage treatment capacity. Likewise, the health centres are fully prepared and equipped to deal with cholera, a highly contagious infection that spreads through contaminated water or food. Cholera treatment areas are separated from regular health services, and even have their own self-contained waste treatment areas, preventing the further spread of cholera from the patients to the broader community.

While the Canadian Red Cross will continue to work in the country for years to come, including building a new hospital in Jacmel this year, the changes created by donations from across Canada and the world have already led to astounding changes in the country.