2010 – Page 309

Fears are growing for as many as 100 Dominicans who may have perished in the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, although the official toll, so far, is 5, as reported in Listin Diario. Of the victims, 4 were engineers working in Haiti with the Mera Munoz and Fondeur Construction Company that is building the Mirebalais-Port-au-Prince highway. The …

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Despite all the international community’s good intentions, the chaos prevalent in Haiti also is affecting air operations, making the arrival of aid even more disorganized. France, Spain, the UK, Canada, Japan, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and other countries have sent equipment for search and rescue operations as well as first aid supplies and food …

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Last night President Leonel Fernandez decreed that today, Friday, and tomorrow would be “Days of National Mourning” for the loss of thousands of human lives in Haiti as a result of Tuesday’s earthquake. The Decree 29-10 establishes that “the Dominican people are profoundly disturbed by this great tragedy, and it is therefore considered to be …

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Dozens of Haitians flocked to the grounds of the Haitian embassy in the Dominican Republic yesterday looking for assurances that they would be allowed to return after visiting their families in Haiti whose capital was devastated by an earthquake that registered 7.0 on the Richter scale last Tuesday. Meanwhile, at the main bus terminal in …

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While Haitians try and find out about the plight of their families, Dominicans are going out of their way to help. Dozens of collection centers are cropping up all over the country to accept donations. The Red Cross has already made two trips into Haiti with hundreds of food rations and medicines. On the third …

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Supermarket advertising campaigns have been replaced by appeals for aid for Haiti. La Cadena is offering to contribute one box worth RD$450 containing milk, juice, chocolate, sugar, corn, beans, water, sausages, sardines and crackers for every RD$450 donated by customers. Plaza Lama has a full-page spread inviting customers to donate bottled water, canned goods, tetrapak …

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Yesterday the international community announced its US$400 million response plan for earthquake-stricken Haiti, consisting of humanitarian aid, including food and medicines. Less than two days after thousands died in the rubble, Haiti has received US$347,175,000 and EUR6,000,000 to ease the damage caused by the disaster suffered by the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The …

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Representatives of more than ten large, medium and small companies in the DR will begin to sell their products to the United Nations (UN) and to agencies providing humanitarian aid, for these products to be distributed in Haiti. In a meeting held at the Dominican Republic Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD), representatives from companies …

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The Ministry of Education says that 111 public schools in the DR were affected to some extent by Tuesday’s earthquake. Education Minsiter Melanio Paredes says that two schools, Escuela Victoria Pena in San Cristobal and the Liceo Jaime Amable Mota in Los Mina (Santo Domingo East) suffered structural cracks. The authorities, nevertheless, said that the …

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A former Minister of Public Works, Engineer Rafael Corominas Pepin, comments that an observation of the rubble makes it apparent that many structures in Port-au-Prince collapsed because re-bar had not been used and buildings were constructed in close proximity, as reported in Hoy. He pointed out the existence of thousands of buildings in the DR …

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