Hurricane Matthew : the Veolia Foundation provides relief in Haiti

1 december 2016

HURRICANE MATTHEW : Haiti hit once again.

Haiti was still recovering from the terrible earthquake of 2010, when a new natural disaster struck the country on the night of 3 to 4 October 2016: a category 4 storm, hurricane Matthew, killed several hundred people. The Southwestern region of the country was the hardest hit: many cities were flattened, such as Jérémie, where 80% of the city was destroyed. A provisional assessment by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 2.1 million people were affected, 1.4 million people were in need of humanitarian aid, and more than 800,000 people faced food insecurity.

The Veolia Foundation mobilized from the start

In the days following the hurricane, the French NGO ACTED approached the Veolia Foundation to organize a humanitarian emergency mission.
At the humanitarian platform in Massy-Palaiseau (91), where the Foundation stores its emergency equipment, a team of volunteers mobilized to prepare and pack 2 tonnes of water purification equipment and ensure its transport to Haiti.
A plane chartered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs left Paris on October 10, carrying:

• 6 Aquaforce 500 water purification units, with a capacity of 2 m per hour each
• 6 storage tanks, with a holding capacity of 3 m each
• Pumping equipment to transport and distribute water by truck
  

Day-by-day intervention

Veolia experts in support of ACTED teams

On October 11, a member of the Veolia Foundation and a volunteer from the Veoliaforce intervention team flew to Port-au-Prince.
They were initially responsible for receiving the equipment and organizing its transfer to the priority sites identified by the UN Humanitarian Coordination and Haiti's Drinking water and wastewater national office (DINEPA) as having the greatest need for drinking water.
At the same time, they recruited 7 ACTED staff members to be trained in the use of the Aquaforce 500 stations and ensure their day-to-day operation.
A second Veoliaforce volunteer joined the team a few days later, and at the same time, Veolia employees in Guadeloupe mobilized and offered their support to the Foundation.

First-hand accounts by Veolia's experts

6 Aquaforce 500 units deployed in Haiti

On October 15, all the emergency equipment left Port-au-Prince to be dispatched to their deployment sites. The Aquaforce 500 units were carried aboard US Army helicopters, as road conditions were too uncertain to consider trucking.

Three Aquaforce 500 units were transported to the country's South coast: two in Port-à-Piment, and one near Chardonnières, further West. Three other units landed in Dame-Marie, in Western Haiti.

The Veoliaforce team, accompanied by members of the NGO ACTED, left for Port-à-Piment by car to begin the theoretical and practical training, set up the equipment and quickly start the production and distribution of drinking water.

Once all the units were up and running, the Veoliaforce team remained in support of ACTED staff for several weeks, to ensure they encountered no difficulties using the equipment.

The Veolia Foundation already present in Haiti

The Veolia Foundation has been present in Haiti for some time through its emergency and development missions.
In the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on 12 January 2010, the Veolia Foundation joined the French Red Cross to supply over 30 tonnes of drinking water production and distribution equipment. A team of 9 Veoliaforce experts worked on the spot to assess the water and sanitation needs in the priority areas and supervise the deployment of several Aquaforce 5000 units in the capital.
During the first few months of the emergency phase, volunteers ensured the proper functioning of the 67 drinking water distribution points set up throughout the city.

L'Aquaforce 500, a unit adapted to emergency deployments

Aquaforce 500 is a mobile water treatment unit designed for humanitarian emergencies. Lighter and easier to handle than the Aquaforce 5000, it can be easily transported by pick-up and by air. The Aquaforce 500 is equipped with ultrafiltration technology. It is able to produce 15 litres of drinking water per person per day, to a population of around 2,000 people. It has been deployed by the Veoliaforce teams since 2012, in order to quickly restore access to water for disaster-stricken populations and thereby control the development of epidemics.

AQUAFORCE 500

AQUAFORCE 5000

Providing relief during humanitarian emergencies

In France and abroad the Veolia Foundation supports non-profit projects of general interest that contribute to the sustainable development of territories. Its priority areas of intervention are humanitarian emergencies and development assistance, support towards employment and social link, the protection of the environment and biodiversity.

The Foundation calls on skill-based sponsorship, thus providing not only equipment, but also Veolia's expertise. Which is why each of its projects is sponsored by a Group employee. Since its creation in 2004, the Foundation has supported more than 1,350 projects, and carried out nearly 150 skill-based missions.

The Veoliaforce network brings together 500 Group employees, all experts in the fields of water, waste, and energy. Volunteers travel to the four corners of the world to put their experience and skills in the service of others through humanitarian emergency missions and projects to develop essential services.

Veoliaforce provides emergency relief in areas struck by disaster, and contributes to sustainably improve the living conditions of the most deprived people - for instance, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ecuador.

Examples of other missions :