Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Many areas of the world have emergency sirens and signs that alert the public to impending issues. These issues could be wildfires, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc. With the city of Anse-a-Galets, there is currently no such system. Being the largest village on the island and having the main hospital on the island, such a city in the region should have some sort of protocol that notifies the public of such issues. Not only from the stand point of having such a system is good for the public, but it is also important for the future of the island. Businesses want to know that an area has the infrastructure in place to keep the public and their interest safe. Establishing a Regional Emergency Management and Homeland Security group would be something that could impact the entire island. These systems are not only for notification outdoors, but also should notify people who are indoors. Radio alerts, TV alerts, and text notifications would all be something that a Regional Emergenc...

The island of La Gonave doesn't have any outside presence that is on a large national scale. Many of the non-profits have a limited budget and are focused on programs that are not for the entire island population. While La Gonave lies many miles from the coast of the mainland, it doesn't have any organization that can bring focus to the island when a national disaster happens. Given that Hurricane Irma missed La Gonave (barely), is proof that in times of extreme weather, we need an organization like The Red Cross. It does exist on the mainland, and is well established. We need to get the organization onto the island and setup a small office presence there. Given the size of Anse-a-Galets, a small 5,400 sq. ft. space would be a great starting point. Having this presence will be a lifeline for the island residence when they get cut off from services from the mainland during a natural disaster. Go Gonave!

Getting to and from La Gonave is a bit of a challenge. Typically you can fly into the island from Port-au-Prince using a charter flight, or you would have to take a ferry. Due to really expensive fares, most locals use the various sailboats and a ferry that go to and from the island. These water vessels are barely sea worthy, and some have even sunk. Most of the people who fly to the island are foreigners who are with or part of the not-for-profit groups on the island. Rarely if ever do Haitians fly even from the the Port-au-Prince airport, let alone La Gonave. The island of La Gonave has a 2,400 foot dirt runway that easily gets muddy when it rains, and often has livestock that is roaming the airstrip. This simply can not continue to happen. The La Gonave airport is only a 20 - 25 min flight from Port-au-Prince airport. Given the short distance, and large population on the island an air service could be supported. If you look at the numbers of people who daily go to and fr...