Patrick Norzéus, Director General of the Haitian Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANAH), conducted an inspection, evaluation, and working tour of the North and Northeast departments aimed at strengthening the institution's capacity, consolidating ties with its partners and local authorities, and improving SEMANAH's services and performance in the various sectors under its responsibility.

In Fort-Liberté, in the Northeast, one of the main components of this tour focused on the reinstallation of 41 tsunami warning signs, carried out in collaboration with local authorities. This initiative aims to enhance the preparedness of the city, which has been designated Tsunami Ready faced of a potential tsunami disaster.

The activity also aimed to inform the public about the meaning of the signs, their preservation, and the appropriate actions to take in the event of an alert, including the rapid evacuation of dangerous areas to designated assembly points.

The Director General emphasized the importance of the sea in the green economy and its contribution to the national economy. He stated that major ports are a vital component of the country's economic activity, despite the challenges currently facing the Far North. He specifically mentioned the port construction projects being considered by several economic stakeholders.

He also urged the public to protect the recently installed signs, reminding them of their role in identifying evacuation routes and, consequently, in protecting lives in the event of danger.

Joanis Fleury, the Departmental Director of Civil Protection for the Northeast, pledged to continue raising public awareness, particularly regarding the meaning of the signs, their purpose, and the appropriate actions to take to protect oneself and move away from at-risk areas in the event of an earthquake and/or tsunami.

As part of this initiative, SEMANAH, Civil Protection, GeoHazards International, and the authorities of Fort-Liberté also organized a tsunami warning simulation exercise on one of the routes where the signs had been installed. The objective was to familiarize the population with the signage system and the routes to follow to reach assembly areas in the event of an alert. The exercise was also intended to better prepare residents to quickly evacuate dangerous areas.

In the North Department, the Director General of SEMANAH visited the port of the National Port Authority (APN).

During this visit, he raised the issue of a shipwreck that is causing difficulties for coastal vessels during docking operations. He pledged to work towards finding solutions to this problem. He also announced his intention to support the Coast Guard in order to facilitate and strengthen its presence at sea.

Norzéus then visited the Caracol coastal shipping area and various port sites where construction projects are being considered by investors.

At the Labadee coastal shipping port, which has approximately 80 vessels, he met with the SEMANAH representative for the area and the President of the Seamen's Union. Discussions focused on the difficulties faced by professionals in the sector, emergency response procedures, and opportunities for cooperation between SEMANAH and maritime stakeholders.

During this meeting, the President of the Seamen's Union requested the provision of life jackets for captains and crew.

In response, Norzéus explained that the distribution of life jackets does not fall directly under SEMANAH's remit. He reaffirmed, however, the institution's commitment to contributing to maritime safety and safeguarding human lives and property.

In this regard, he announced that SEMANAH would work to establish cooperation with relevant stakeholders and promised, in the meantime, to send some life jackets to sailors.

HL/ HaitiLibre