22210: stephenson: The RDNP and the catastrophic floods (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: PatrickStephenson <patrickstephenson@videotron.ca>

The RDNP and the catastrophic floods of Mapou, the background area of
Verretes and the Southeast area.



The RDNP painfully lived, like the very whole nation, the serious floods
which has trucked the populations of the areas of Verrettes, Mapou and the
of Southeast, and devastated a good part of our territory. From the very
start, it has joined the misfortune of the disaster victims and sent a
delegation of three members of the Central Office to Verrettes (Louissaint
Julio André, Luckner Benjamin and Wilner Elissaint) and another to Thiotte
and GrandGosier (carried out by Jeantel Jean) who, as a consequence of
difficult terrain and broken communications infrastructures, had to make a
good part of the road by foot in both cases, until gaining access to the
disaster victims where they could make, the first arrived, the lamentable
report of the losses and destruction... With their visit on the ground, the
two delegations recorded that helicopters of the foreign rapid deployment
force had started to distribute apples, oranges and water to the survivors
while waiting for first aid requested. The two delegations of the RDNP
remained on the spot to inquire into the extent of the damage and to comfort
the survivors shocked by the disappearance of the borough of Verrettes and
Mapou, The first literally carried by water in fury and the second drowned
on the spot in the pocket consisting of stagnant flood water. Almost all was
destroyed, the church of FondsVerrettes destroyed as well as the presbytery.
One could still see perched on some trees branches some of the miraculous
survivors. As everyone knows, this tragedy is the consequence of an
ecological disaster of the irresponsible deforestation, which one has let
settle, as it is unfortunately the habit of irresponsible governmental
leaders that have ruined the country during the last decades. One must
remember that, under the government of February 7, 1988, we had taken the
problem of the deforestation of our watersheds very seriously and even very
spectacularly, gave a great blow by vigorously undertaking the demolition of
anarchistic constructions in the area of "Canape Vert". The fate wanted
that, this time, the two disaster zones having brought victims with heavy
losses of many human lives, are known points of concentration of members,
sympathizers and friends of the RDNP because of the remarkable work made at
Fonds Verrettes by the local regional branch animated by the agronomist
Laurard, very recently deceased, and in Mapou by the party's  (Utah) action
units organized in particular in Thiotte by the families Jeantel Jean, Maxo
and Desmarattes and in Mapou by the Cajou family of which many members have
perished in the floods.

All the members, sympathizers and friends of the RDNP were invited to
mobilize everywhere where the rescue and support are organized, that it is
either at the public level by governmental authorities, or at the level of
private organizations and on the international level where solidarity
becomes operational.

At the central office of the RDNP in Port-with-Prince where a crisis cell is
operational, as in the regional branches of the party, local branches
through the whole territory and in the Diaspora, a pressing call was
launched and our members were quite naturally requested to actively join,
wherever they are, the national and international united effort.



Port-with-prince, Friday May 28, 2004

For the National Executive Committee and the Central Office of the RDNP

Leslie F Manigat

Secretary-General and Political Leader of the RDNP