Port au Prince Archives - Canadian Medical Assistance Teams

CMAT Response Team in Haïti: Arrival in Port au Prince

2016 - Haiti Hurricane Matthew

Huge thanks to Air Transat for transporting our water purification system, and team to Haiti earlier this week!

November 3-4, 2016 – Port au Prince, Haïti: CMAT’s Response team arrived earlier this week in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, accompanied by a large-capacity water purification unit.

Departing from Montreal, the team was delighted to learn that Air Transat not only waived their excess baggage fees, but also donated the cost of cargo shipping for the 600lb unit! HUGE thanks to Air Transat for helping CMAT with this project! (click on Thumbnails to see larger image)

A big thank you to Air Transat for waiving our baggage fees, and for transporting our water purification system, and team to Haiti earlier this week! Starting our deployment to Haiti on a very positive note.

Once the team arrived in Port-au-Prince, the next challenge was to move the 600lb unit out of Customs and into temporary storage. Our long-time friend and colleague Jean-Evens Cheridor worked tirelessly to assist our team in this stage of logistics.

A big help thank you Evens and his family for helping CMAT obtain the Nomad Water Purification Unit from Customs in Haiti. Amazing team work. CMAT’s Nomad water purification unit is moved from customs to temporary storage in Port au Prince, while the team scouts locations for its placement.

First morning in Port-au-Prince, important meetings were attended by CMATers Kate Auger and Marc Dupuis, while Team Leader Martin Metz visited potential project locations.

Marc Dupuis Firefighter from Quebec and Kate Auger NP from Ontario attending early morning meeting with other NGOs to determine local projects in the area. Marc also spent some time organizing medical supply donations while at Haiti Communitere. These supplies were graciously donated by La Coop des Paramédics de l’Outaouais. and purchased by friends of CMAT through Health Partners International, Canada.

CMAT continues to appeal for donations to help offset the cost of this project. Donations are gratefully accepted at CanadaHelps.org

Canadian volunteers from CMAT headed to Haiti to provide humanitarian relief.

2016 - Haiti Hurricane Matthew

CMAT Team departing Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport for Haiti
When: Wednesday November 2, 07:00
Where: Air Transat check-in counter

CMAT Director Dave Johnson sending off the high-capacity water purification unit to Haiti.

MONTREAL Nov 1, 2016 – Members of Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (CMAT) will be departing early Wednesday (November 2) for Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, accompanied by a large-capacity water purification unit, and other relief supplies.

On October 4th, Hurricane Matthew violently struck Haiti and resulted in the country’s largest humanitarian emergency since the 2010 earthquake. While the immediate health impact of the disaster was managed locally, CMAT has since been collaborating with local and international agencies, helping to coordinate a response to relieve the suffering of those affected by the Hurricane, and support the population through the anticipated longer-term health consequences of the storm.

CMAT’s Response Team consists of 3 members from across Canada:

Martin Metz, Vancouver, BC
Kate Auger, Collingwood, ON
Marc Dupuis, Val Des Monts, QC

With more than a decade of international humanitarian deployment experience among them, the team will be bringing valuable expertise to the region, along with critical water purification equipment to help rebuild the country’s capacity, and address the worsening situation of water-borne illness. To date, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have already reported over 3,000 cases of suspected cholera.

CMAT would like to thank the the following partners who have generously assisted CMAT with this deployment:

Air Transat
Air Canada
WestJet
Farrex Freight systems
The generosity of individual donors.

Donations gratefully accepted via Canada Helps! Click below to donate.

Haiti earthquake – 6 months on

2010 - Haïti Earthquake, Deployments

Children at a local orphanage send their thanks for helping CMAT to provide them with basic medical care.

July 12, 2010 – Today marks 6 months since the devestating earthquake struck Haiti, killing over 200,000 people and rendering well over 1,000,000 homeless. CMAT Executive Director Valerie Rzepka reflects on the organization’s response to this crisis.

The early days

Arriving less than 72 hours after the disaster, I was part of the CMAT Assessment team which quickly set about surveying the areas in and around Port-au-Prince. While I established contact with the UN On-site Operations Coordination Centre (UN-OSOCC), UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), and WHO- Pan-American Health Organization (WHO-PAHO, my colleagues on the assessment team went about scouting the region and environs for a suitable location for our field hospital, where there was the greatest need.

Worst Earthquake in over a century hits Haiti

2010 - Haïti Earthquake, Deployments

People carry an injured person in Port-au-Prince after the largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday. (Radio Tele Ginen/ Associated Press)

Wednesday January 13, 2010 – Port-au-Prince, Haiti: A magnitude 7.0 quake with more then 20 aftershocks to date struck shortly before 5 p.m. the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away. The capitol has been largely destroyed.