Morne l'Hôpital (English: Hospital Hill) is a communal section of the City of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Looking up at Morne l'Hôpital, Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti
About[]
The beginning of the illegal and anarchic occupation of Morne-Hôpital - located in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area - dates from the 1960s. It is therefore not a recent phenomenon, but it has not stopped growing over the decades. The rural exodus and the migrations of the medium-sized towns towards the capital are the main factors of urban macrocephaly which characterizes Haiti since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986. The invasion of the lands is the main dynamic of the occupation of the Haitian urban space and Morne-Hospital is an illustration of others. The However, the specificity of the site is related to the ecological and environmental issues it faces for the whole of the Haitian capital. The problem of densification of this vast space does not arise not just vis-à-vis its occupants, but a large part of the population of the Metropolitan Area.
History[]
Morne l'Hopital, was originally the seventh rural section of the municipality of Port-au-Prince. This hill is located in the south East of the City from the passage of the Cold River until that at Carrefour Laboule; reached the Canape Vert near Boutillier. It has 300 toises of elevation, and ends at Lamentin Point. The two rural sections of Bellevue are on the Morne de l'Hopitai.
Jerome Marc Coutilien Coutard, who saved the life of President Pétion at the Battle of Sibert, was born in Bellevue, November 10, 1778. Incorporated in the 4th half-brigade under Toussaint-Louverture, he was always distinguished by a rare courage. In 1804 he was made lieutenant of grenadiers. During the assassination of Dessalines at Pont-Rouge, he was with his company in garrison at Saint-Marc. The horror inspired him by Christophe was so great that he threw himself into the party of the republicans.
• Saint-Laurent was a coffee plantation situated in the town of Port au Prince on Morne l'Hôpital next to the Fourmy habitation.
• In 1796, the English General Forbes had Saint-Laurent fortified. In April of the same year, the republicans of the West marching against Port au Prince occupied it. The English came to attack them, and lost Major Ponchet. The camp was only removed with artillery.
- In 1803, plowmen Marie Jeanne and Duchemin Adam, both black plundered the workshops of Morne l'Hopital against the French.
The limestone fragments of Morne l'Hopital are tightly cemented and take on a compact appearance. These conglomerates of crushed stone are up to 300 meters thick.
• The Rateau, or Rasteau habitation, partitioned from the Peu-de-Chose habitation, was named for two citizens. Citizens Pierre Andre Rasteau and Godefroy represented the commune of Port-au-Prince in the House of Commons in 1817.
Fort Mercredi is located here, south of and opposite Grande Rue de Port-au-Prince. It was built during the reign of Emperor Soulouque. It is now dismantled. During the entry of the Cacos into Port-au-Prince, on December 19, 1869, the Cacos were cannoned encamped in the Grande Rue.
Fourmy[]
The Fourmy habitation is situated amidst Boutillier on its right and Saint-Laurent on its left.
• On April 26, 1796, Colonel Dessources ventured into the rural area of Morne de l'HOpital, specifically near Fourmy, where he faced multiple ambushes orchestrated by the locals whom he captured on behalf of the English. Despite these challenges, an English division successfully reached Fourmy with minimal casualties.
• After Pétion reclaimed Fort de la Coupe (Pétion-ville) from the English on December 5, 1797, they subsequently abandoned the encampment at Fourmy.
Neighboring sections
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The Mountain[]
Morne de l’Hôpital is also the name of a mountain within Haiti and is directly south of Port-au-Prince and west of Pétion-Ville. Morne de l’Hôpital has an elevation of 998 meters (3,000 ft) above sea level. The width at the base is 6 km (4 miles).
The area around the Morne de l'Hôpital is varied. The highest point nearby is Morne Zombi, 1 782 meters (5,900 ft) above sea level, 3 miles south of the Morne de l'Hôpital. It is very populous, with 1,411 inhabitants per square kilometer. The surroundings around the Morne de l'Hôpital are a mosaic of farmland and natural vegetation. In the area around the Morne de l'Hôpital there are many unusually named mountains.
The communal section[]
There was no other multi- faceted development program ever before in Haiti like the work of watershed management in the Morne Hospital area. The primary object of the project was to reduce flood risks in the Morne Hospital and its surrounding area. Every year even a slightest rain used to cause real danger in the slopping alluvial areas and many other parts of Port-au-Prince.
The project under the program employed over 4,035 people living in the downstream areas. In addition to reducing flood risks and risks to human lives, the project was unmatched in offering many other benefits like creation of jobs, creating awareness to protect environment, reduction of community violence, improving health condition and strengthening the internal drainage of the city.
The work on the project started on February 6, 2012 and ended on August 2, 2012. The project was initially scheduled to be completed within June 6, 2012 with funding of US$178,634 from Community Violence Reduction (CVR) of MINUSTAH by employing 1,345 local people working in 220 workers in batch rotating system.
The people working there used to chant the slogan "I thirst for peace" (swa mwen Lapè). Dry walls used in the constructing banks and threshold allowed rainwater to sip into the soil. This is very effecting in reducing risks of future landslides. The use of vetiver grass seeding further solidified the walls. There are many other projects in the offing. The area will be reforested with useful plants like bamboo, mango and avocado. The area has been announced as the state-approved zone-- all construction in the area has been banned.
The beneficiaries to the work have expressed their satisfaction.
Carrefour Feuilles; a Locality of Morne l'Hopital
According to sources, Carrefour Feuilles is a highly marginalized zone where youth form a particularly vulnerable group, characterized by high unemployment, hunger and extreme poverty. Many young adults find themselves victims of crime in their own neighborhoods.
Other places named Hôpital[]
- Morne l'Hôpital, Gonaives, an ironically infamous location where Toussaint had supporters of the southern government executed.
- Fort l'Hôpital, defended the city of Jacmel, estabished by Petion in 1799.
- Fort l'Hôpital, Les Cayes, endured a bombardment from government ships in 1869.
- Hôpital was once part of the rural area of Santiago, DR. In 1840, the local economy was characterized by a limited number of small establishments for food production and cattle farming.
- Fort l'Hôpital, Tortuga, refuge of the retreating French forces in 1808. Dismantled.