I recently traveled to Haiti with a team of engineers from Engineering Ministries International (EMI) to perform structural evaluations of damaged buildings. We partnered with other organizations, such as Samaritan's Purse, Food for the Hungry, World Concern, Compassion International, and Habitat for Humanity. It was an incredible blessing to be part of the initial "hands" on the ground.
My primary task was to inspect hospital buildings around Port au Prince, so that the safe buildings could be reopened. I developed repair plans for some of the damaged hospitals. I also assessed office buildings and local staff homes for our partner organizations. To address the discrepancy between the overwhelming quantity of homes needing inspection and limited number of engineers, we also developed a course to train local community leaders to assess the structural integrity of common homes.
During the 11 days I was there, I witnessed countless expressions of God's grace and also horrific scenes that I can't easily reconcile. Although some aspects of the trip can't be captured with words or photos, I would like to share the following experiences with you.
My Experiences while Assessing the Safety of Key Buildings
Structural Assessment Training Program for Local Leaders
Retrofit Design for Large Hospital
