May 24, 2010 - Repurposing Shipping Containers for 2 Million Homeless Haitians

The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti has left the country struggling to find adequate shelter for 2 million people as hurricane season approaches.

To address this issue, an international team of green activists and designers, motivated by the initiative of architect Richard Moreta, proposed recycling and adapting shipping containers for temporary and long-term living needs by following a simple, inexpensive and easy to implement design and assembly process.

Richard Moreta and his team, Green Container International Aid, have been working to secure used shipping containers for use in their Container Cities. Recently, Moreta has called out for support for the people of Haiti -- specifically he needs help amplifying and relaying his message to authorities, those in positions of power or with business connections to donate shipping containers and help save lives.

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The work to begin construction on their Container Cities has been a non-stop effort and a pilot project has already begun in Jacmel, which lies along the Caribbean Sea, in the Southern part of Port-Au-Prince. Emergency shelters will begin to be built as soon as they start receiving the containers, which can be quickly retrofitted into durable structures. Not only capable of withstanding the forces of hurricane season, the basic structures will include new exterior paint, plywood floors, a living Green Roof (geo-textile fabric, gravel layers, humus, vegetation), fabric covers over the top to protect them from the sun and collect rain water, a screen panel at the entry doors of the containers to provide for mosquito protection, and a foundation. After enough shelters have been provided for the victims, the homes can be further built-out and made more habitable.

Currently there are 2 million people living in tent camps, and with hurricane season fast approaching they will have no protection. The chances of a major hurricane landfall in Haiti is likely this coming season due to a weakening of the El Niño cycle, so hurricane-resistant shelters need to be constructed in order to secure the safety of Haiti's disaster-stricken population.

Moreta and his team are asking for a massive donation of shipping containers from around the world to be shipped to Haiti. Already, Hapag-Lloyd, the biggest container company in the world, has donated 5 shipping containers to their efforts, but many more are needed. Spread the word, hurricane season begins next month in June. The solution is in place, but the resources are lacking. To help the people of Haiti, spread the word, and visit the GCIA website or Facebook page.