While most were sleeping, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The epicenter is located approximately 7 km northwest of L’Aquila, approximately 85 km northeast of Rome. L’Aquila is comprised primarily of Baroque and Renaissance era architecture and sits upon a hillside in a narrow valley.
The Hotel Montana: Once an iconic, four-star meeting place for Haitians, foreigners, spies and tourists, the locally owned hotel was utterly leveled by
the Jan 12 earthquake. All that is left is broken concrete, twisted metal and the stench of decaying bodies.
We selected 16 contractors and trained them in technology and business. We specified materials from local suppliers—Haitian-made. Contractors hired masons from the pool that we had trained.
We identified over 120,000 yellow-tagged houses with limited damage. They were still dangerous but relatively easy to repair. The famous Yellow House Repair Program originated here. During this program’s initial assessment, we identified more than 80,000 collapsed or heavily damaged buildings, which were red-tagged.
I just finished giving a speech at the Kinam Hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The audience applauded enthusiastically. I felt good, elevated. I had spoken to
The Citadel
August 14, 2012, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
The shadow of a massive fortress appeared in the jungle at an elevation of 3,000 feet. It was
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