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January 6, 2022July 14, 2022

Kidnappers & Disaster

This post is part of a series called Miyamoto in Haiti
Show More Posts
  • The 2010 Haiti Earthquake, Part 1
  • The 2010 Haiti Earthquake, Part 2
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: The Presidential Palace, A Fractured Haitian Icon
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Damage Assessment of the Japanese Embassy
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: The Well-Oiled Relief Machine Rolling Through Haiti
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Inside a Heavily Damaged Building
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Visiting The Citadel
  • Thirty Months in Haiti, Part 1
  • Thirty Months in Haiti, Part 2
  • Thirty Months in Haiti, Part 3
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: A Morning and Afternoon of Hopeful Rebuilding
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: School Rebuilding and Construction Continues
  • Trente mois en Haïti, 1eme partie
  • Trente mois en Haïti, 2eme partie
  • Trente mois en Haïti, 3eme partie
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Visiting a Remote School Construction Site Near Cap-Haïtien
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Self-Sustaining Relief
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Love it or Hate it? Love it!
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: Lycee de Cite Soleil Rehabilitation Project
  • Miyamoto in Haiti: The Hopeful Road to Recovery
  • A Day in the Haiti Disaster Zone
  • Kidnappers & Disaster
  • A Disaster Week in Haiti

Dec. 23, 2021, 5:05 p.m. PST

Les Cayes, Haiti — I quickly jump from our old Mazda four-wheel-drive truck onto an old Chinese-made motorcycle in a jampacked, dusty, hot road. They call it a “moto.” There are thousands of them here in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Just a couple of dollars; they will take you anywhere without stopping in traffic. I must take a flight to the south, where the earthquake disaster is. But in the meantime, I need to get there by avoiding deadly traffic jams.

They are, in fact, deadly. Haiti’s traffic jams, which people call “blocus”, are frequently targeted by gangs. Since cars obstruct passages and each other, these situations are rendered easy targets. Haiti is now the most notorious place in the world, as the kidnapping risk per capita has reached number one. Since the beginning of 2021, in the previous eleven months, over 600 people have been kidnapped in Port-au-Prince, which is populated by a couple of million people. 17 American and Canadian missionaries were kidnapped a month ago and are still being held as hostages at the time of writing this.

These kidnappings are organized by powerful gang groups that aim to gain ransoms. They are often much heavily armed than Haiti’s national police. The departure of the United Nations peacekeeping forces a few years ago essentially created a large gap in security in this country.  The situation has grown so dire that a gang group was forced to take charge of an official ceremony held by the Prime Minister. This happened soon after Haiti’s president was assassinated. You can even spot their gang leaders on social media as if they were public figures.

My trusted moto driver zips through narrow gaps between cars, ditches, sidewalks, everywhere. You may think I am crazy, but I know this is the safest way to move around this traffic. It is not worth it to try and catch a fast-moving single rider zigzagging through traffic.

Now my moto is arriving at a quiet new domestic airport. It is so different from the chaos outside. In a mere 30 minutes, I will be in the south, where the earthquake hit on August 14, 2021. Over 100,000 homes, schools, churches, and businesses were damaged. Working with the United Nations, Office of Project Services and Haiti Public Works (MTPTC), we have assessed over 60,000 structures to this date. It is critical that we fix and open these schools, businesses, and homes as soon as possible. People are waiting. We have more than 400 Haitian engineers and social workers on the ground working every day. An average of 1500 buildings per day is assessed. This is amazing under the circumstances—when gang groups often choke the flow of gas into the cities, usurping their control over the port and major roads. We even had to shut down the operation for two weeks due to a lack of gas. These engineers and social workers are a hard-working bunch, doing all they can for their country.

Dr. Kit Miyamoto on a Haitian "moto"
Dr. Kit Miyamoto on a Haitian “moto”, one of the most popular modes of transportation across Haiti.

I get off from my usual small puddle jumper in Les Cayes airport. It is classic scenery, a one-strip airport, open-air and a one-room terminal. The people are a mixture of locals, kids, government officials and UN workers. I love this place. It is so remote and so beautiful, wearing its tropical green, blue sky and wild clouds. No gang groups. People are always laughing at little things, but even they have gone through such hardships for generations. Their energy and optimism are infectious, indeed. I do get energized here.

Many of my local friends have told me that this is the worst time they have ever gone through in Haiti. But many are still determined to stay, because they know things will get better, as always.

Kit Miyamoto
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   A Day in the Haiti Disaster Zone
A Disaster Week in Haiti   

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ABOUT

Kit Miyamoto

As CEO of the structural engineering company Miyamoto International, Kit is dedicated to making the world a better place. In Kit's words: our responsibility as engineers is to make buildings safer by sharing what we know around the world. Join his journey to make the world a better, safer place.

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Congrats to our recently promoted Miyamoto Princip Congrats to our recently promoted Miyamoto Principals and Associate Principals. Thank you for all that you do to make the world a better, safer place.

#Miyamoto #MiyamotoInternational #Promotion #ThankYou
A powerful earthquake has struck regions of #Afgha A powerful earthquake has struck regions of #Afghanistan, #Pakistan, and #India. The epicenter was around the mountainous city of Jurm in northeastern #Afghanistan, near the border with #Pakistan with a magnitude of at least M6.5 on the Richter scale.

The region and near vicinities must be prepared for aftershocks, usually smaller than the main earthquake but can still cause damage or collapse already damaged buildings. In the case of an aftershock:

✔️If you are indoors, quickly move to a sturdy desk or table and take cover. Stay away from outside walls and anything that could fall on you.
✔️If you are outside, move away from buildings and trees. Find an open area and stay there until the shaking stops.
✔️If you are traveling by vehicle, stop in a clear location, and stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops. Avoid stopping near buildings, trees, walls, or anything that can fall on you.
✔️If available, follow any instructions or guidance from local authorities and emergency services.

یوې زورورې زلزلې د #افغانستان، #پاکستان او #هند سیمې ولړزولې. د زلزلې مرکز د #افغانستان په شمال ختیځ کې د جرم د غرني ښار په شاوخوا کې د #پاکستان پولې ته نږدې و.
سیمه او نږدې ځایونه باید د وروسته شاکونو لپاره چمتو وي ، معمولا د اصلي زلزلې څخه کوچني مګر لاهم د زیان لامل کیدی شي یا دمخه زیانمن شوي ودانیو سقوط. د وروسته شاک په قضیه کې:
⁇  که تاسو په کور کې یاست ، ژر تر ژره یو قوي میز یا میز ته لاړشئ او پوښ یې واخلئ. د بهر دیوالونو او هر هغه څه څخه لرې اوسئ چې تاسو باندې راوتلی شي.
 که تاسو بهر یاست ، له ودانیو او ونو څخه لرې شئ. یوه خلاصه سیمه ومومئ او هلته پاتې شئ تر هغه چې ټکان ودریږي.
که تاسو د موټر په واسطه سفر کوئ ، په روښانه موقعیت کې ودریږئ ، او د موټر دننه پاتې شئ تر هغه چې ټکان ودریږي. ودانیو ، ونو ، دیوالونو ، یا هر هغه څه ته نږدې کیدو څخه مخنیوی وکړئ چې تاسو باندې راوتلی شي.
که شتون ولري ، د ځایی چارواکو او عاجل خدماتو څخه لارښوونې یا لارښوونې تعقیب کړئ.

 #earthquake
As per #earthquake regulations, it is essential to As per #earthquake regulations, it is essential to make sure you have a good connection to prevent dislodging. However, in this scenario, the building’s connections were not secured correctly, leading to its inevitable collapse.

It is imperative to recognize that even the most minor details, such as securing the connections accurately, can have a significant impact on the safety of a building. Such precautions do not entail significant expenses but can make a vital difference in life-threatening situations. Tragically, it often takes a calamity like this to raise awareness of the criticality of adhering to appropriate #structural #engineering guidelines.

Tap the link in our bio to learn more about how #structuralengineering can save lives.
Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure has Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in damaged homes or buildings.

Last week’s missile attack across #Ukraine resulted in more loss of life, homelessness, destruction, and damage to private homes. As reported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Lviv oblast, the village of Velyka Vilshanytsya was severely impacted, including loss of life and damage to some 21 homes.

600 Km east Miyamoto International Ukraine was in #Bucha & #Irpyn inspecting houses and apartments repaired after war damages.

Preparations for the country’s reconstruction should not be on hold. The right time to support #Ukraine’s recovery is now, so the full reconstruction can #start right the next day Russian hostilities #end.

Civilians are #NotATarget #StandWithUkraine
Announcing the #Expansion of #Miyamoto Capacity: # Announcing the #Expansion of #Miyamoto Capacity: #Urban #Resilience & #Rehabilitation!

Our #MiyamotoInternational team possesses deep experience in urban resilience, #urbanplanning, and rehabilitation, including using nature-based solutions and sustainable materials. Moreover, our experience in participatory planning processes and capacity building, ranging from community engagements in informal settlements to engaging hand-in-hand with high-level officials and #government entities, brings a pragmatic and cutting-edge cross-disciplinary and integrated approach to #sustainability and resilience.

We work through a system-based approach that acknowledges entire ecosystems, enhances #community #development (participation and co-creation with communities), tackles risk mitigation, reinforces the #ecology (including the integration of NBS), and fosters local #economic development. We bring a vast international experience and the ability to integrate and address a deep understanding of local context, needs, and potentials.

Some of our principles include:

✔️Aligning with current planning standards
✔️Integrated planning strategies
✔️Addressing multiple scales + systems-based approach
✔️Focus on community development + local governance
✔️Urban Design and Placemaking
✔️Equity and inclusion

Learn more at the link in our bio!
Today, on International Women's Day, we take a mom Today, on International Women's Day, we take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible women working at Miyamoto International and at the companies and organizations we continuously collaborate with to make the world safer. We are proud to be part of an industry that increasingly recognizes the value of diversity and inclusion, and we are grateful for the talented and dedicated women who are helping to lead the way.

From #engineers who are designing buildings and infrastructure that will stand the test of time to the local office staff working hard behind the scenes to keep our projects on track, women in all roles significantly impact our industry. Their contributions are essential to the success of our projects and the strength and #resilience of the communities we serve.

At Miyamoto International, we support and empower #women in all roles. We believe #diversity and #inclusion are essential ingredients for success. By embracing different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, we can solve complex problems, innovate new solutions, and create a more equitable and #sustainable future for all.

So today and always, we thank all the amazing women who are part of our team and the wider Miyamoto International family. Your hard work, talent, and dedication are truly inspiring, and we are proud to stand alongside you as we work to build a safer, stronger, and more resilient world for all.
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