Haiti Earthquake Disaster – Emergency Aid
After the Haiti earthquake, Evenproducts was able to quickly deploy its new range of rapid latrines there. The Evenlatrine provided a valuable first-response sanitation solution in a region which suddenly had a huge displaced population without a water and sanitation infrastructure.
The Evenlatrines, which were quickly freighted out flat in pairs, are of lightweight corrugated plastic construction with aluminium superstructure and easy to assemble on site with fitting kits provided in each pack. Evenproducts also provided plastic pit liners for use with trench latrine pits where the local Haiti soil was fine and crumbling and latrine pits liable to collapse.
The Need for Waste Containment
A valuable lesson learned from the Haiti experience was the need for a new waste containment solution, both because of the poor soil quality and because in urban situations it was unrealistic to expect to dig underneath the latrine areas. After this experience, Evenproduct designed a freestanding, enclosed waste-containment tank for attachment to the latrines when they are set up and which has a rear hatch for pumping out waste in order to increase the safe life of the latrine site.
Evenproducts also freighted steel water storage tanks into Haiti, many via Panama, to help with the lack of available drinking water and supplied dozens of bladder tanks for temporary storage of smaller quantities of water, via the Dominican Republic.
In addition, orders were fulfilled for huge quantities of tapstand distribution kits to go with the water tanks and for additional fittings, hoses and tools to assist users on the ground. During the Haiti crisis, Evenproducts also successfully activated a rapid response mechanism which had been agreed in advance with one of its largest aid organisation customers, so that bladder tank kit stockholdings at the Evenproducts site (which had been prepared and held on site for just such an eventuality) could be deployed within 48 hours of notification from the sponsor.
Find out more about our support in the aftermath of the Tsunami of 2004…