lessons haiti pres
TRANSCRIPT
GRESSIER40-50% destroyed
Population 25,000
CARREFOUR40-50% destroyed
Population: 334,000
PETIT GOAVE15% destroyed
Population: 254,0001,077 people killed
PORT-AU-PRINCE
Population: 2,000,000500,000 located in 447 makeshift settlements
LEOGANE80-90% destroyed
Population: 134,0005,000-10,000 people killed
HAITI EARTHQUAKE STASTICS230,000 deaths200,000 injuries1,000,000 displacements2,000,000 in need of food assistance3,000,000 affected
January 12, 2010: Earthquake in
Haiti
Media Penetration in Haiti
Haiti's 9.6 million people possessed only 108,000 landlines in 2009 (142nd in the world per capita) compared to 3.6 million cell phones.
Radio ownership in Haiti is virtually universal: 97 % of respondents own a working radio.
Almost 10 % of Haitians described as "Internet users“ – but infrastructure problematic.
Haiti's newspapers have been hampered by the country's 52 % literacy rate.
Media and Communications Ecosystem
Satellite Image of Port-au-Prince
Map of Port-au-Prince
An ad hoc coalition quickly took shape, anchored by a group of graduate students at Tufts University in Boston.
Tufts-Ushahidi and Mission 4636
Ushahidi-Haiti
The coalition of Haitian diaspora, technology volunteers and companies created a solution to transform crowdsourced data to actionable information.
• Short Code 4636 provided as free service by Haitian telecom
Digicel• Over 1000 Creole speaking
volunteers translate SMS messages
• Messages then streamed back to relief groups in Haiti.
• Two weeks after the earthquake, Crowdflower took over management
Mission 4636
Mission 4636: SMS Messages
SMS to shortcode
4636
Translation
Geolocation
Categorize
Verification
Mapping
Report
Example of anSMS Emergency Report
The following SMS message was sent by a doctor with the Tufts/Mission 4636 group to the United States Coast Guard to
follow up with assistance.
[1/24/10 5:17:47 PM]
D. R– S-----: Two persons are trapped under the rubble at the Caribbean Market. One of them, Regine M-- - here is using this number: (+1+ 305 --- ---- to call for help.
Coordinates: 18.522547, -72.283544.
[names withheld to protect privacy]
Example of anSMS Message in Creole
The following SMS message was sent in Creole with the Shortcode 4636 to the Ushahidi platform to follow up with
assistance.
[1/21/10 23:59]
Jodi a fe 4 jou mwen pa mange tanpri mouin grangou mouin kay yon moun nan sain marc rue louverture numero 75.
kowodone: 19.10196, -72.69954
[Very rough translation: Today haven’t eaten for 4 days, please in a basement Saint Marc Rue L’Ouverture #75]
Humanitarian Media Response
Local Haitian media helped to connect international organizations to the Haitian
public.
Humanitarian information engagement in Haiti was notable for its preparedness,
speed of response and attempts to integrate into local popular culture.
Radio: Access can be shared easily and relatively cheaply among many people, serves both literate and illiterate populations.
Haiti has over 250 commercial and community radio stations.
Signal FM was the only radio station that stayed on the air continuously, broadcasting to an audience of nearly 3 million throughout the crisis.
Radio: Signal FM
Humanitarian Media Initiatives
International organizations supported local humanitarian media initiatives. They included:
InternewsIMS
AMARCInternational Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
UNESCOReporters sans Frontiers
These groups provided facilities for local journalists, cash grants, and technical equipment and training.
The show began on 11 stations
ENDK: News You Can Use
• The show began on 11 stations
• The show reported on:
• Water distribution points• Status of displaced persons
camps• Public health advisories
• The program became available on 27 stations within a few weeks
On January 21, Internews set up a humanitarian reporting project to report critical information.
U.S. Marine Corps. 22ND Marine Expeditionary Unit
Craig Clarke, a civilian analyst for U.S. Marine Corps, worked with crisis mapping platform Ushahidi, to provide support for Marine rescue units on the ground.
Reports from Ushahidi helped Marines:
• Supply water in a displaced persons camp
• Distribute devices to sanitize drinking water
• Police areas and ensure barricades were not blocking aid from reaching victims
Media and Communications Ecosystem