A delegation of officials Haitian-American, composed of Dr. Smith Joseph, he Mayor of Noth Miami; Alix Désulmé, Deputy Mayor of North Maimi; Al Jacquet, Deputy of the State of Florida for Palm Beach County, Gary Eugène, the Head of the State Police of Florida and Marc E. Jeudy, Coordinator of the delegation, currently staying in Haiti to assess and inquire of the needs of the affected population of the Category 4 hurricane, Matthew.

In a meeting with US officials, Jessy C. Petit-Frère, the Minister a.i. of aitians Living Abroad said that "[...] the government will act to enable the affected cities to return to normal," adding "This is why I invite the diaspora to invest in major projects where it can make his mark."

The main Mayor of North Miami, Smith Joseph said that the delegation came to listen, see and assess the situation, "We came in solidarity with our brothers and sisters victims of the hurricane. Without wanting to replace the State authorities, we want to know how we can help our compatriots."

For his part, the deputy Al Jacquet asked how the Haitian government could "determine an area of intervention for the Miami diaspora ?" stressing that "the Haitian residents may invest in this community and participate in its development."

Note that the delegation also met to the National Emergency Operation Centre (COUN) François Anick Joseph the Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, and to his offices Didier Hyppolite Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries.

At these meetings, members of the diaspora reiterated their appeal for providing them with a place where they can intervene and invest in local development projects. The Ministers welcomed the idea and promised to discuss the issue with other State authorities.

HL/ HaitiLibre