A shipping container full of pre-fabricated homes is one step closer to embarking on a voyage from Nova Scotia to Haiti where they will be available for sale to help Haiti's rebuilding effort. On Saturday volunteers in Truro packed up 90 of the ready-made homes in a church parking lot.
The homes are going to Fond de Blanc, a town that wasn't extensively damaged by the earthquake and quickly filled with people who lost their homes. It's just under 100 kilometres away from Port-au-Prince.
Fond des Blancs had a population of about 5,000 prior to the January 2010 earthquake. That number has swelled to 60,000.
Now, officials in Haiti plan to to permanently expand the town and new homes are needed for that.
About $45,000 was raised by Friends of the Orphans Canada to buy the pre-made homes.
Organizer Ian MacHattie said the homes will be assembled in Haiti.
"They're a steel-arched dome — like in a semi-circle — with a fabric pulled tight over it," MacHattie said, explaining the look of the homes. "It's 12 feet by 12 feet and that way it's wind-resistant, solar-resistant, won't fall down in an earthquake, and just provides basic shelter."
He said the structures are anchored to the ground using concrete instead of wood because of termites in the region.
MacHattie said about 200 volunteers contributed time and money to help the unique housing project.
The homes will be sold for $500 each, including shipping, freight and installation.
He said the container will make its way to the Halifax port in the next couple of days.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/05/21/ns-haiti-homes.html
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