Port au Prince, Haiti.- The Dominican President today arrived at the newly constructed residential Embassy compound in the city of Port au Prince, Haiti. The old residential Embassy building had been damaged by the earthquake of Jan 12th 2010, and after an inspection by government engineers it was found to be unsafe and had to be demolished.
The new building is larger than the last and includes a Presidential suite to host the head of state during his visits to Haiti. Also the compound is adding a new section to house the Dominican Consulate and Embassy offices in the city. This new wing will allow the government to also include several halls and reception areas to the compound for the Dominican citizens living in Haiti.
The old building in Petion Ville was built in 1934 during then President Trujillo, with the property purchased fully by the Dominican state in 1957. The new 800 square meters residential Embassy compound sits in an area of 3,000 square meters with another 3,000 square meters designated for the new Embassy offices and consular services wing under construction.
The residence at the Embassy compound was built by Grupo Estrella, itself one of the three major Dominican construction firms that already established their offices in Haiti.
The compound will also be updated to expand the existent 3 landing areas for helicopters, to accommodate larger types of aircraft capable of carrying out vertical takeoff and landings. The DR is planning to purchase a couple of Boeing V-22 Osprey aircrafts from the United States and has seen that during major evacuation and relief efforts, larger aircraft can be the difference between life and death.
The new Embassy offices and consular wing is slated to be fully underway by later August this year, as the Embassy offices are moved temporarily into the newly inaugurated Embassy residence complex.