Sanjay Amin FRICS Writes for Forbes.com on Crisis and Recovery in Haiti


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01/26/2010 17:35

Sanjay Amin FRICS travelled to Haiti in July 2009 to advise the government on the implementing building codes and improving the country's ability to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. He writes of his experience in Forbes.com and explains what can be done now to help the Haitian people with their recovery.

Read Sanjay's full article on Forbes.com.

He writes, in part: "With the government buildings being so badly affected, reconstruction work will likely occur long before Haiti has a proper and functioning building code. As we've already seen, multiple celebrities, the government, U.N. agencies, humanitarian/development agencies and private individuals, among others, will help with reconstruction projects. For their work to be successful a clear plan must be developed and appropriate built environment professionals must be involved. It is also important for such aid to be carefully monitored, ensuring that the money is well spent on constructing buildings that are not only built to code but also represent value for money. We do not expect this to be easy, but we will strive to achieve it. And we'll be there for the long haul."

Sanjay will be working with RICS' Disaster Management Commission and BuildAction on its plan to assist with Haiti's recovery. This includes providing advice to multinational organizations such as the United Nations as well as identify RICS members in the region who can lend their expertise to the recovery and rebuilding effort.

About RICS & RICS Americas
RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), with headquarters in London, is the leading organization of its kind in the world for more than 100,000 professionals in property, land, construction and related environmental issues.

RICS Americas, based in New York and covering North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, has more than 2,200 members in commercial and residential development, construction and project management, brokerage, planning and finance, valuation and fine arts appraisal. For further information visit www.ricsamericas.org or e-mail ricsamericas@rics.org.