Seabee Progress in Haiti Saving Lives

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist James G. Pinsky

April 14, 2010 - PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- Work performed by Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7's Air Detachment is having a significant and immediate impact saving Haitian lives at Camp Petionville in Port-au-Prince.

"Although we are less then half way through the mitigation construction, we have already seen the result of our hard work," said Camp Petionville project leader, Navy Lt. Jason Killian, a Civil Engineer Corps(CEC) officer assigned to Joint Task Force (JTF) Haiti's J7 engineers. "There was a heavy rain on Friday that put our work to the test. As we walked through the camp at night we were praised by the Haitians who live there for our work and thanked for keeping them out of the possible flood."

Camp Petionville is a 50,000-man internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Port-au-Prince situated on a resort retreat in the Petionville suburb of Port-au-Prince. The camp began when small bands of survivors displaced by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake settled in and around the spacious land. As word spread throughout the region the population grew and the relief organization J/P HRO, chaired by Sean Penn, began managing what became known as Camp Petionville.

Penn asked the military to help - and they did.

"At our request, the military engineers (JTF-Haiti) did an original assessment of Camp Petionville and from that meeting we felt that the current situation put people at high risk particularly related to floods and mudslides," said Penn. "With the proper action these effects could be mitigated to save lives."

JTF-Haiti's answer for Camp Petionville's problems was NMCB 7's Air Detachment.

"The Seabees came in and did another assessment that jived pretty close with the Army assessment, so it helped validate that we had some very serious problems and they needed to be dealt with immediately," said Penn.

JTF-Haiti responded quickly reaching out to the Seabees at NMCB 7 teaming them up with their own engineers from JTF-Haiti's J7 department and the United Nations, and non-governmental organization (NGO) engineers who went right to work at Camp Petionville earning immediate praise from Penn.

"The U.S. Military has been the pace-setting face of humanitarianism in this country," said Penn. "Since the very beginning with the 82nd Airborne up to now with the huge participation by the Seabees, it has been, to the man, such an impressive effort here. The interaction has been respectful, humane and heartfelt. It has made a real impression here and it has helped the NGO's because it's one more face of concern," said Penn.

The plan to help Camp Petionville was drafted by JTF-Haiti's J7 department which is a combination of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Air Force engineering professionals from around the globe.

"We are operating together on this project as a seasoned team working through issues, tackling logistical challenges, changing the design to meet the demands, and taking care of the people that we are here to help," said Killian.

According to Killian, the scope of work for the Seabees at Camp Petionville falls into three basic engineering categories: flood control and drainage, landslide prevention and shoring, and safety and egress. Flood control and drainage will be addressed with an entire grid of primary and secondary drainage ditches throughout the camp. For landslide prevention and shoring a variety of methods from wood shoring to sand bag walls will be used to stabilize the hillsides that have been excavated and are in danger of falling, and for safety and egress 600 meters of fence will be placed along the main drainage ditch to prevent people from falling into the water during a heavy rain along with building a gravel roadway complete with deep v-ditches and culverts also to control water runoff.

The help for the Haitians arrived faster than Penn expected giving the famous Hollywood actor turned humanitarian a crash course in just what a Seabee is, and what the legendary "Can Do!" spirit is all about.

"The Seabees are decisive, clear gentlemen of the first order and they have my highest level of confidence," said Penn. "The changes here have been so dramatic and so fast even without their own gear, their equipment. They found equipment to use either from NGO's or contractors, and the work they have been able to do has been a miracle."

Part of that miracle has been the Haitians themselves who have contributed by the hundreds in a cash-for-work program run through the United Nations.

"The efforts of the cash for work laborers is the main factor in our success," said Killian. "We are currently running 160 people in this system and plan to have more than 240 soon. They want to work to help their neighbors and they put forth a solid effort every day to make their camp a better place to live."

The Seabees and their leadership understand the critical role their work plays at Camp Petionville.

"My Seabees, led by Builder 2nd Class Thomas Camara, are focused on the importance of their work and the impact they are making on a daily basis," said Lt. Beau Brooks, officer in charge, NMCB 7 Air Detachment. "They remind me everyday what it means to be a Seabee, what is really important, and that in the end it's all just about people helping people for a better life tomorrow."