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Ten years after the deadly earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the seismic risk remains very high. This is what the BME, the Haitian Bureau of Mines and Energy, indicates. In Jacmel, a coastal town in the South-East department which was also devastated by the 2010 earthquake, the population is aware of the threat of a new disaster. But it does not mean that she knows the attitudes to adopt in the event of an earthquake. Reportage.
With our correspondent at Jacmel , Sachenka Thomas
" I don't know what to do. If possible, I go out. Otherwise, God only knows! Explains a resident. “ You shouldn't go out on the spot. You must first locate a safe exit. Once inside, one is delivered to fate ”completes a man.
Ten years after the Jacmel earthquake, some people still do not know what attitude to adopt during an earthquake. However, according to Ronald Délice, coordinator of the departmental office for civil protection, much has been done to inform the population: “ We are carrying out simulation exercises with the population. In schools, we broadcast videos and distribute leaflets. We give press points, we broadcast announcements. We also carry out awareness campaigns. And for a year now, there has been an interactive radio program focusing on earthquakes . ”
However, this awareness campaign does not reach all of the inhabitants of southeastern Haiti. “ Some people don't listen to the radio, others don't watch TV. The majority of the population lives in remote areas. Radio broadcasting antennas do not allow transmitting to them ”regrets Ronald Délice.
Much remains to be done so that the gestures that save are known to all.
► January 12, 2010: Jacméliens remember
The deadly earthquake of January 12, 2010 not only devastated the region of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, but also the coastal city of Jacmel. This capital of the Southeast department was destroyed 80% by the earthquake, leaving 700 dead, 5,000 injured and almost all of the 55,000 inhabitants of the homeless. Ten years after the disaster, the Jacméliens remember and tell RFI how they experienced the earthquake of January 12, 2010.
“ I thought it was a bulldozer passing on the street. I was inside the house ironing clothes. I opened the door to see the bulldozer. My husband appeared at the same time and said to us, “It's an earthquake!” He asked us to go out and come into the yard. It was the first time I had experienced such a thing. Afterwards, I got dizzy again, the impression that the house was spinning with me, ”says a woman.
“ I was in my bed, reading when I felt the bed move. I was surprised. I rushed out and saw the church opposite collapse with the worshipers praying inside. Then people ran around, panicked. There was dust. I thought it was something mystical, because the book I was reading spoke of mysticism, ”recalls a man.
“ We were on the terrace, my mother, my brother, an aunt, two cousins and me. When we felt the tremors, we took refuge under the flowers in the courtyard and we hugged each other. We did not know what it was. Then we saw a lot of dust. When we went out, we saw that a house in the neighborhood had collapsed, ”says a young girl.
“ I worked in the morgue. I was taking care of a body when part of the wall fell on my arm. I had an operation and spent 9 days in the hospital, ”says a man.
ST