Construction of a regional humanitarian warehouse
In a context of intensification and multiplication of hazards and crises, PIRAC has undertaken to build and equip a regional humanitarian warehouse in Guadeloupe in order to strengthen preparation and response capacities in the Caribbean region. Built as part of the READY Together Extension (2023-2025) project, it will enable the pre-positioning of stocks of essential goods and humanitarian equipment for an effective response to the needs of populations in the event of a disaster. Construction began in December 2023 and will be completed this year in 2025.
The construction of the warehouse in pictures
Episode 1: The genesis of the project!
Episode 2: Behind the scenes at the construction site!
Episode 3: Construction challenges and our environmental commitments
Enhanced operational and regional emergency response capabilities
Located in the airport zone, on a 2,800 m² plot and close to the Civil Security emergency stocks and the military zone, the project is being carried out in collaboration with Guadeloupe Maryse Condé Airport.
It will offer storage space for various types of humanitarian equipment useful in responding to disasters and crises in French overseas territories and the Caribbean, and will enable other key emergency actors to pre-position their stocks. The warehouse will serve as a regional humanitarian logistics hub for the Lesser Antilles and the rest of the Americas/Caribbean region.
At the regional level, this additional facility provides a means of pooling resources and thus ensuring the most appropriate, coordinated and rapid response when needed across the region.
Increased storage capacity
With a surface area of 790m², the facility will enable the pre-positioning of the equivalent of:
family kits consisting of several types of emergency humanitarian supplies:
Essential goods (kitchen kits, cleaning kits, etc.);
Emergency shelter construction kits;
Equipment for responding to health crises (mosquito nets, etc.);
Mobile drinking water production units;
Home water treatment and storage equipment (filters, disinfectant tablets, buckets, jerry cans, etc.).
Provisional construction schedule
An environmentally friendly construction and management model
This project has multiple environmental ambitions:
- By opting for a low-waste construction site, priority is given to the use of eco-friendly materials;
- PIRAC has also incorporated green spaces into the project, thereby improving the quality of the spaces;
- Equipment and layout choices have also been made to make the most of resources and ensure low energy consumption;
- A photovoltaic power plant is being set up to actively contribute to the greening of the island’s electricity grid through the production of renewable energy;
- Measures are being taken, such as construction in accordance with earthquake and cyclone resistance standards, the use of vibration and shock resistant storage racks, the installation of a buffer tank for drinking water, and the installation of a water reserve tank, which contribute to strengthening the building’s resilience to natural disasters.
Conducted in collaboration with the OECS and the CDEMA, this project to build a regional humanitarian warehouse, initially included in the READY Together programme (2019-2023), is being continued under the READY Together Extension programme (2023-2025). The READY Together Extension project is co-financed by the INTERREG Caraïbes VI programme under the European Regional Development Fund, the French Development Agency, the CMA-CGM Fundation, .and the Guadeloupe Region.
