Return of Hydro-Quebec line crew from Haiti

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - The 14-member line crew and support staff that left for Haiti last November 15 to help Electricité d'Haiti (EDH) is back in Québec. The mission leader will remain until March 19 to wrap up the project.

The work was carried out in the city of Gonaives for the most part (90 per cent),as well as along the national highway between Saint-Marc and Gonaives, in thevillages of Johanisse and Bois Blanc and in the city of Estère. The goal wasto re-establish a number of essential services.

According to preliminary figures, Hydro-Québec employees:

- Worked on over 90 sites

- Installed 400 poles

- Installed10 km of conductors

- Installed 85 transformers

Work on the line between Saint-Marc and Gonaives restored service to water pumps used for field irrigation as well as to La Providence and Raboteau hospitals, a centre housing Doctors without Borders, a CARE distribution centre, and convents and schools run by Canadian and Italian nuns. In addition, the installation of street lamps at strategic points identified by the local authorities allowed lighting to be restored in several districts of Gonaives.

Hydro-Québec employees worked at an intense pace: 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. An added benefit of the project was the transfer of know-how between Hydro-Québec and EDH lineworkers.

Hydro-Québec was the only company to come to the aid of EDH. This exceptional undertaking had a total budget of $4 million. Hydro-Québec would like to thank the Canadian International Development Agency for its additional contribution of $500,000, which allowed us to prolong the mission in Haiti and purchase more poles and transformers.