Road accident temporarily strands bulldozer used by Canadian Forces in Haiti
Posted January 24, 2010 2:11 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Canadian Forces convoy with the army’s only bulldozer in the Jacmel region in Haiti has been sidelined by a traffic accident.
It was not clear how the accident happened on the cracked and rock-stream mountain road to the capital, Port-au-Prince, but there were no reported injuries in the collision.
The incident represented a temporary setback for efforts to push ahead with Canadian relief efforts from Jacmel, the newly established transport hub on the south coast.
The front of one truck was partly caved in, with a front tire dangling off to the side. Several members of the army’s Disaster Assistance Response Team were stuck on the treacherous road as soldiers tried to repair the damaged vehicles.
Among the four vehicles in the stranded convoy was the bulldozer the DART has been using to clear rubble.
This happened as debris-clearance was becoming central to the relief and recovery efforts in quake-struck Haiti.
The international mission is shifting as the desperate search for survivors gives way to clearing debris. Damaged homes and roads are being bulldozed, and bodies are being carried away.
Master Cpl. Clint Mainville said the military was contacting civilian contractors in the hope of renting extra equipment. He said the clearing process will be a long one.
“We’re basically getting rid of all the debris, garbage and rubble off the streets so people can get through,” said Mainville, based in Gagetown, N.B.
“It’s months of work. There’s parts of the city that are totally destroyed. There’s roads that are totally blocked off.”
In nearby Jacmel, residents expressed gratitude for the help they’ve been receiving.
Military firefighters have been inspecting homes to ensure they’re structurally sound.
Jonas Noel received the good news that his tiny two-room house was OK to live in.
“We really thank you very much,” said a beaming Noel, standing outside his pink-and-white home. “You have really shown what great friends Canadians are to Haitians.”
