Suzie Cooper deployed to Haiti for disaster relief efforts – Latest

We are incredibly proud of our structural engineer, Suzie Cooper, who has been deployed as part of the Search and Rescue Assistance in Disaster (SARAID) team responding to the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

SARAID, a UK charity that provides highly trained search and rescue volunteers in response to large scale disasters around the world, has mobilised a team to Haiti at the request of the Haitian Ambassador in London. Their objective is to provide immediate humanitarian support in response to the devastating 7.2M earthquake in Haiti on Saturday 14th August 2021.

Suzie is among a team of six volunteer personnel. The team’s primary task is to coordinate and lead structural damage assessments and also to provide technical search expertise as the search for survivors continues. The team will use their expertise and experience from previous deployments to help coordinate and deliver the damage assessment phase. This is a key task in ensuring the safety of the local residents and also to provide a level of reassurance to those that have had their property affected by the earthquake.

SARAID will be working with the local authorities on the ground to establish a triage system to categorise the safety and habitability of damaged structures. A key part of their work is to train local engineers and provide them with clear guidance to enable them to continue this work over the long months ahead.

The mission is Suzie’s third deployment in three years with SARAID, following trips to Beirut after the explosion in 2020 and Albania after the earthquake in 2019.

We’d love your help to raise money for SARAID so that they can continue to support communities devastated by large scale disasters. If you'd like to make a donation, visit their Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/saraid-haiti