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Disaster resilient housing in Haiti became a major concern following the 2010 earthquake and Veerhouse Voda was among the first to arrive and help Haitians rebuild by providing emergency shelter, structures, and housing. Since then, the company has built a local factory to ensure similar high-quality structures could be readily available for all. Now in the wake of hurricane Matthew, Veerhouse Voda is proud to announce that every single structure built by the company in Haiti has survived this latest natural disaster.
Category 4 Matthew tore through Haiti, with winds reaching more than 145 miles per hour in some areas. At this point, the total number of deaths caused by the disaster has climbed to over 1,000. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and more than 2.1 million people have been affected, according to the associated press. The New York Times further reports countless tales of homes being “stripped to their foundations,” with rubble reaching shoulder-height.
Despite the extreme weather and damage to surrounding buildings, each structure created by Veerhouse Voda, including its local factory, survived the storm without issue. This is because the company focuses on creating robust buildings that can withstand the elements and has now found a way to make it more affordable as well.
Megan Boudreaux of Respire Haiti comments “Veerhouse Voda built our Health Clinic in 2013 after the earthquake. We are situated on top of a hill very exposed to the elements so we were very worried when we saw that Matthew was going to be a direct hit. The morning after the storm, there was destruction and chaos but our building, did not suffer any damage whatsoever. We are in the process of ordering 2 more buildings from them” .
Veerhouse Voda also provides easy to assemble, locally-manufactured, disaster-resilient shelters that can eventually be converted to permanent structures. Because the company chose to establish itself locally, recovery shelters can be built rapidly and response times are fast with considerable social impact with the jobs creation and environmental benefits.
“After building its first test structure in 2011, VV’s pipeline grew and we decided to invest in a local factory instead of importing all materials. This has led to lower prices and job creation previously unavailable in Haiti,” said company CEO Brendon Brewster. “It took 2 years, but VV was able to raise the money to build its local factory by winning the Compete Caribbean business plan awarded by the IDB, a USAID/PADF Grant, and the remaining financing from the IFC, IDB, and FMO via the Leopard Haiti Fund.”
Unlike other forms of emergency shelter and housing common to Haiti, especially those built post-earthquake, the Veerhouse Voda system makes use of EPS, or expanded polystyrene, lightweight steel, and a patented mortar. While the Veerhouse Voda system ensures that its structures can withstand the extreme weather conditions common to the region, it is also ideally suited to the provision of long-term permanent homes.
“We are perfectly positioned to make an even bigger difference in the lives of Haitians,” added Brewster. “Creating this factory has been a struggle. We know what struggle means as do the Haitian people. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Haitian people to assist in their time of need ready to provide emergency shelters and other environmentally friendly fast build homes, schools, hospitals and churches.”
The Veerhouse Voda system can be used for all other types of buildings including schools, hospitals, warehouses, and more.
About Veerhouse Voda
Veerhouse Voda LLC is involved in the design, marketing, manufacture, and delivery of sustainable, inexpensive, disaster-resilient, environment-friendly residential and commercial buildings. The company operates EPS Haiti, located in Port au Prince. For more information on emergency shelter or disaster-resilient housing in Haiti visit VeerhouseVoda.com.
Release ID: 140583