- Title: HAITI: Haiti's iconic presidential palace to be demolished.
- Date: 23rd August 2012
- Summary: PORT -AU-PRINCE, HAITI (AUGUST 22, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE PALACE DEVASTATED BY THE 2010 QUAKE GENERAL VIEW OF PRESIDENT MICHEL MARTELLY ARRIVING AT THE PALACE GENERAL VIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) PRESIDENT OF HAITI, MICHEL MARTELLY, SAYING: "We have decided to fulfil our duty and I've already proved my determination to the people of Haiti who voted for me on a historic vote on March 20th 2011. I decided to rebuild the Palace for the Haitian people. The Palace will stay alive in our memories." VIEWS OF THE PALACE (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) PRESIDENT OF HAITI, MICHEL MARTELLY, SAYING: "I am taking responsibility for something that can not be ignored. The new palace will resemble the old one. The only change is that it will be a building capable of absorbing the impact of an earthquake." GENERAL VIEW OF THE PALACE VARIOUS OF THE IDP CAMP PERSONNEL AND CEREMONY DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION, HENRY JOLIBOIS GENERAL VIEW OF THE PALACE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION, HENRY JOLIBOIS, SAYING: "Most of it is going to be the same architecture but there are major changes that are going to be done. First of all, it's going to be a quake-resistant design, which means it is going to be resilient architecture. For the next earthquake the Palace must stand tall." GENERAL VIEW OF HENRY JOLIBOIS
- Embargoed: 7th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Haiti
- Country: Haiti
- Topics: Disasters
- Reuters ID: LVAC8769OVGJR0CA52ZVZR1E5JPP
- Story Text: Haiti's quake-damaged Presidential Palace is to be knocked down and built anew.
Haiti's presidential palace is to finally be demolished and rebuilt after it was devastated by the 2010 earthquake, President Michel Martelly said on Wednesday (August 22).
"We have decided to fulfil our duty and I've already proved my determination to the people of Haiti who voted for me on a historic vote on March 20th 2011. I decided to rebuild the Palace for the Haitian people. The Palace will stay alive in our memories," said Martelly.
The ruined palace has become a symbol of the devastation and poverty on the island nation.
"I am taking responsibility for something that can not be ignored. The new palace will resemble the old one. The only change is that it will be a building capable of absorbing the impact of an earthquake," said Martelly.
Since the 2010 quake, activities once carried out inside the palace are conducted in various temporary structures erected inside the palace grounds.
The director of Haiti's National Institute for Heritage Preservation Henry Jolibois, said the new structure will resemble the former palace but will be built to withstand earthquakes.
"Most of it is going to be the same architecture but there are major changes that are going to be done. First of all, it's going to be a quake-resistant design, which means it is going to be resilient architecture. For the next earthquake the Palace must stand tall," said Jolibois.
Haiti's 2010 earthquake killed more than a quarter of a million people and left over a million homeless. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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