HAITI: Haitians cast weary eye eastward as churning tropical disturbance raises concerns about preparedness

Record ID: 333156

  • Title: HAITI: Haitians cast weary eye eastward as churning tropical disturbance raises concerns about preparedness
  • Date: 24th July 2010
  • Summary: CHILDREN STANDING BY TENTS
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Haiti
  • Country: Haiti
  • Topics: Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA263OJI6A9423SPK17B8WF9CYZ
  • Story Text: Haitians on Thursday (July 22) said they concerned about the low-levels of hurricane preparedness in the country due to concerns over Tropical Storm Bonnie.
    Delaine Solemene, a resident of a tent camp in the quake-stricken Port-Au-Prince neighborhood of Delmas 33, said that many local people are left without adequate shelter during heavy rains.
    "Since we've been here, nobody has ever come out to see how we are doing, what our needs are. No one came to ask about the conditions in which we live. Our biggest problem is that when it rains, everybody goes crazy, you don't know where to go. There are people that cover their home with a cardboard box, some with bedsheets, and others with plastic," she said.
    The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Bonnie, the second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles (65 kph) per hour.
    Alta Jean-Baptise, the director of Haiti's Civil Protection Department, said that the tropical storm was a serious concern for the country.
    "Up until yesterday it was a 60% chance of it turning into a hurricane. It is a big concern for Haiti. Today, according to the weather bureau, it will turn into a hurricane. Haiti is in the path of this hurricane," she said.
    "Within the system their are certain steps that are in place. There are many commissions that are working on evacuation orders, particularly for those people that live in and under tents. We already know that it is difficult to say that we are at %100 precaution, because the capacity of the country is a bit weaker than that," she added.
    Forecasters say this year's hurricane season could be the worst since 2005, when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma caused havoc in the Gulf Coast, damaging oil rigs and refineries and forcing sharp cuts in production.
    The hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 and often affects the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
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