Above: Miragoane (UN Photo/Victoria Hazou)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The new Emergency Operations Centre in Haiti’s Miragoâne broke ground this week, a facility that will include a disaster relief warehouse and a fire station.

The project is the product of a partnership between the governments of Haiti and the United States.

Several Haitian and US officials were on hand for the ceremony, including Consul General of the United States in Haiti Colombia Barrosse, Driector of the Direction of Civil Protection, Alta Jean Baptiste and Miragoane Mayor Joseph Franseau.

The centre seeks to help local emergency response personnel collect and analyze reported information, make decisions and manage Haiti’s collective response to emergencies or natural disasters.

The new fire station will provide additional support for firefighting efforts in the area; it will also be available for a “significant” role in the event of a larger-scale emergency in Haiti.

“Haiti is taking the necessary steps for a safer, more resilient country that is less vulnerable to natural disasters,” Barrosse said. “The United States government looks forward to continuing our fruitful partnerships with the government of Haiti and members of the international community to make Haiti safer and assist the people of Haiti in building and sustaining their capacity to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters.”

Working with the Haitian government and Haiti’s Civil Protection agency, the US government will help build 10 such centres across Haiti, at a total cost of $34 million.