In partnership with KPFF Consulting Engineers and us, AIDG began coordinating trainings in confined masonry construction techniques in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and Léogâne. The techniques developed in South America partially explain how the Feb 27th 8.8 earthquake in Chile (700 times stronger than the Haiti quake) caused considerably less damage.
In the video report above ABC News Australia accompanied the engineering team (Craig Totten, Shawn Anderson, Darlene Clovis), masons (Clem Fleck and Robert Miller from Portland based Fleck Masonry) and AIDG's Adajah Codio to Jacmel on one of the trainings days.
The meat of video report is that there is not enough being done to educate homeowners, masons, and construction workers on how to build back better. Because of lack of information and/or financing, many people are doing sub-par repairs of already sub-par buildings and repeating the same deadly mistakes.
