Our AMURT/AMURTEL assessment team visited Gonaives twice in early October 2004 to identify the most significant needs of the local community and our capacity to provide relief as efficiently as possible. We interviewed 50 community members in Raboteau, conducted a mud assessment study, and completed a general health survey. We also identified partnerships, and drew together a plan of action.

Street Clean Up

The amount of mud and debris on the streets in the dense residential zones is causing sanitation and communication problems that hinder efforts to normalize the situation in Gonaives.

We set up two work crews, with a bobcat (skid steer) attached to each crew. The work crew consisted of a team supervisor/security-in-charge, a qualified driver, and several clean-up workers using shovels and picks to remove the mud.

The bobcat is ideally suited to this operation because it can penetrate into narrow streets. Surprisingly, no one is used bobcats in this operation (they are hard to find in Haiti) and the other relief organizations we spoke to said the need for them is great. In the beginning of the relief effort bobcats could not be used because the soft mud would have rendered them useless. At the later stage, however, the mud dried up and the problem was eliminated.

Food and Water

On numerous occasions we found unmistakable signs of malnutrition, dehydration, and health problems that could be linked directly to the disaster. Our surveys indicated that the highest priority was to get cooked nutritious meals to the young and the elderly.

We set up the community kitchen in a school in Gonaives and divided into teams of five volunteers working on a rotating basis.


We served 2,000 meals a day to school children and the elderly for seven months. We  worked with community leaders to identify the neediest people in the area. Those people was issued with vouchers that they could redeem for the cooked food.

Partnerships

AMURT is worked with WFP, CARE, OPHH (Haitian Humanitarian Project Organization), OECC (Overseas Engineering and Construction Company) and the Consultative Council (Haitian government/NGO coordination council).

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