Haiti: Your NEW House Could Kill You!

If you a planning to build or rebuild your house in Haiti, you MUST read this...

Ever since the 2012 Haiti earthquake, I've been a little paranoid. I feel a safer in my auntie's little farm house in Savane Haleine, Maissade Haiti, then I do in a concrete home in the capital.

I just bought a piece of land in Haiti and I am looking to build a house there. So I started doing a little research on how houses are built in Haiti.

For some strange reason I started my research on the basics: How are concrete blocks made in Haiti?

I was shocked to find out that the concrete blocks themselves, the building block of every house in Haiti, is the main cause all the deaths that occurred during the January 12 2012 earthquake in Haiti.

I found a 4-page research that talks about it in details. You should read it.

Read: Natural hazard, man-made tragedy

Concrete blocks in Haiti, according to the research, is be made locally and cheaply with limestone. There is an abundance of limestone in Haiti

Here is the problem... so I read...

Limestone is not well suited for supporting heavy loads... a high proportion of lime in the concrete does not create adequate bonding to reinforcement bars.

Should an earthquake occur, the concrete can COME OFF the reinforcement bars, making the columns and beams unstable and unable to behave as a single unit as designed, thereby failing the structure completely.

There is another problem...

The concrete hollow blocks, which are used in ALL constructions in Haiti, are not suitable for load bearing applications. Read about curtain walls and load-bearing walls here.

I am not an engineer, I am just sharing with you what I read.

Why don't you read Natural hazard, man-made tragedy

If you have a minute, you should also read: Code Issues- Just One More Problem for Haiti's Construction Supply Chain

I am not trying to scare you. I just don't want you to build a house like the 3 little pigs. We all know what happened to the 3 little pigs in Haiti.

Question:

Do you have a house in Haiti? What measures are you implementing to ensure that your house does not become your tombstone in the event of another earthquake?

How is the STATE of Haiti (l'Etat Haitien) implementing Paraseismic housing guidelines in Haiti? Are these guidelines being enforced?

Is there a Haiti Housing Authority in place that is overseeing the manufacturing and production of building materials in Haiti?

I know I am going to die some day but I would hate to be the one who built my own freakin' tomb!

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All Comments (4)

Marc Elie Ostainvil says...

Hi there, I think the guy who wrote this article does not know anything about building a house.

First of all, my friend before talking about a topic you need to inform yourself about that subject.

Let me tell you my friend that in building structures, blocks do not have any role to play in the structure excepted sharing the house into many rooms.

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William says...

Thanks for this information
I am planning to build a house in Haiti
Do you have an idea where to buy the materials specially blocks

William
Thank

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La Foie L Amour Delivrance says...

very good information thank you. at least we can try to built our houses like chili.

earthquake proof.

Thank you

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Aly says...

Wow! ...Thanks very much, Woodring! This is very interesting! I hope my friends who are building in Haiti will consider/appreciate this info. God

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