As we reported earlier on our blog, a shipping container was being used to house a subway restaurant. We have found another innovative use for shipping containers in the country of Haiti.
In Haiti, 20 foot containers are now serving as independent housing units with many going on to provide shelter for the survivors of the January earthquake. The earthquake cost the lives of around 230,000 people. We have commented previously on the innovative uses of the ubiquitous container but with one million made homeless by the disaster this means a relief effort of gargantuan proportions is required and each 20 foot container is capable of carrying steel building sets for 50 homes
There are continuing efforts to bring some sort of normality back to the island most recently by transporting the emergency housing units to homeless families. Shipped in the containers and packaged into kits, the homes are assembled in country by trained Haitians and humanitarian aid workers.
To date, there have been 68 containers shipped to Port-au-Prince. In all, the plan is to send 300 containers to relief organizations in Haiti. The temporary structures, which replace tents, measure 10 feet by 20 feet and are hurricane resistant, fire resistant and earthquake resistant and are the ideal structure for harsh environments and are being delivered to various aid organizations in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, including CHF International and the Lutheran World Federation.
Logistics teams worked closely to ensure that fifty of the structures were loaded into each 20-foot container at a new 70,000-square-foot warehouse near the Jacksonville Port Authority's Dames Point Marine.
The housing of displaced Haiti residents is still one of the toughest logistical challenges faced by many aid organizations according to individuals working in Haiti. While the recovery in Haiti is expected to be slow, this is a great help in the restoration of normalcy in Haiti.
Parts of this article have been taken from Handy Shipping News.
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