Two months after Cyclone Pam devastated the Pacific Island chain of the Republic of Vanuatu, the people of Port Villa had something to celebrate. International Green Structures, LLC (IGS) with Korean partner GRD Corporations Limited completed the first IGStructure 2 and 3 bedroom models which were commissioned by Deputy Prime Minister Ham Lini on May 12, 2015 on behalf of the National Housing Corporation (NHC). The festive celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony was a significant milestone for the local Islanders, where more than 188,000 people lost their homes over 22 Islands in the Pacific chain, creating the worst destruction in history. The IGStructures are the first phase of a two part plan to build additional houses on Ifira Island, Vanuatu, which were assembled and finished with trained local Vanuatuans.
President and CEO Richard China of IGS expressed his appreciation to the citizens of Vanuatu stating “the people of Vanuatu have been resilient, passionate and dedicated to our projects success. With perseverance and tenacity, you welcomed us (IGS and GRD) onto your Island, and into your hearts and homes. We are pleased to help provide the next generation of homes for your families and for the future of all Vanuatuans.”
The IGS Operations team arrived in Vanuatu to train and assemble the IGStructure models with construction partner GRD, just 2 weeks prior to Cyclone Pam’s unexpected visit. Due to the catastrophic devastation of Cyclone Pam on the Island’s infrastructure, ports, food, water and sanitation, the project was delayed approximately a month. During the delay, the team conducted damage assessments on the foundations and employees tended to their families before returning to build site.
In the aftermath of the cleanup and during the project build IGS VP of Operations, Joe Bittner met with officials from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), who are responsible for leading and
coordinating the U.S. Government’s response to disaster. OFDA Directors Ben Hemingway and Daniel Rieckhaus both arrived in Vanuatu just days after the Cyclone. OFDA will take the lead on the shelter initiatives in Vanuatu and IGS will continue discussions regarding procuring additional IGStructures for those currently homeless or displace in Vanuatu.
GRD Chief Executive Officer James Kang also on hand for construction process and ribbon cutting ceremony couldn’t be prouder of the teams work saying “Every project has its challenges, no one would have predicted we would have encountered such a natural disaster. However, IGS, GRD and the Vanuatu Government worked together with a common goal, and as you can see, these IGStructures are a symbol of what can be accomplished when we work together as a team, no challenge can stop us now. These durable and beautiful homes were built by you and have now set a new standard for housing on the Island.”
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Lands said the passing of Cyclone Pam had to take place in order to wake everyone up, to look at reorganizing the way people live. “What we are seeing today is a classic example of what we have to do to take a new pathway towards securing the way we live our lives,” the Minister said. IGS has a contract to provide 2,000 IGStructures to the Vanuatu National Housing Corporation, of which the first 300 will be built on Ifira Island, Vanuatu.
