HAITI: Flooding from Hurricane Sandy ravages much of the already devastated country

Record ID: 702516

  • Title: HAITI: Flooding from Hurricane Sandy ravages much of the already devastated country
  • Date: 28th October 2012
  • Summary: CAYES, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) AERIAL VIEW OF HEAVY FLOODING IN SOUTHERN HAITI PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS) JOHAN PELEMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS), JOHAN PELEMAN, SAYING: "We were at the tail end of the hurricane, the hurricane didn't strike Haiti but Haiti was hit by thunderstorms and heavy rain for several days on land. So the entire southern peninsula, including the province, the county, where Port-au-Prince is, has been very heavy affected with flooding. Rivers have burst out of their banks and canals running through Port-au-Prince because Port-au-Prince lies in a valley surrounded by hills." LEOGANE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RUSHING, SWOLLEN AND MUDDY LEOGANE RIVER PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS), JOHAN PELEMAN, SAYING: "Haiti was already hit very heavily by another very serious storm in August, Isaac, people were just recovering from that. That storm hit the northernmost (area). Harvests were destroyed there. The remainder of the harvests in the south have now been destroyed as well." GRAND-GOAVE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) PLANTATION DESTROYED BY FLOODING CAYES, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UNITED NATION'S HELICOPTER DELIVERING EMERGENCY SUPPLIES TO RESIDENTS PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS), JOHAN PELEMAN, SAYING: "What we fear most is that there might be spikes in waterborne diseases, especially cholera which we always see after flooding or rains in Haiti. And obviously, these people need to fed. They need blankets. They need temporary shelter, tents, tarpaulins, some basic tools to restart their lives because they've lost everything in their houses." CROIX-DES-MISSIONS, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGE IN CROIX-DES-MISSIONS NEIGHBOURHOOD AND FAMILY CLEANING OUT THEIR FLOODED HOUSE PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS), JOHAN PELEMAN, SAYING: "The hurricane season isn't over yet. Haiti is very prone, vulnerable, to this type of disasters, (even after) only a couple of days of rain." CROIX-DES-MISSIONS, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) GRAY RIVER AT CROIX-DES-MISSIONS NEIGHBOURHOOD PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF OCHA (OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS), JOHAN PELEMAN, SAYING: "Fifty-one confirmed deaths and still 15 people missing -- this is the latest information that the authorities have just released." CROIX-DES-MISSIONS, HAITI (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) MORE OF GRAY RIVER
  • Embargoed: 12th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Haiti
  • Country: Haiti
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAADMP5R3M3V4TPAFTYTNL0U5VJ
  • Story Text: Flooding from Sandy ravaged much of already devastated Haiti on Sunday (October 28) as authorities and aid groups struggle to cope with the aftermath of the fierce hurricane.
    Hurricane Sandy left behind a trail of destruction as it hit Haiti on Wednesday (October 24), flooding the southwestern areas of the impoverished country en route to Cuba.
    Although avoiding a direct hit, Sandy's outer bands glanced off Haiti setting off heavy rains and causing rivers and canals to overflow around the capital of Port-au-Prince.
    "We were at the tail end of the hurricane, the hurricane didn't strike Haiti but Haiti was hit by thunderstorms and heavy rain for several days on land. So the entire southern peninsula, including the province, the county, where Port-au-Prince is, has been very heavy affected with flooding. Rivers have burst out of their banks and canals running through Port-au-Prince because Port-au-Prince lies in a valley surrounded by hills," said the head of the United Nation's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Johan Peleman.
    The embattled Caribbean country is still reeling after Tropical Storm Isaac drenched harvests and flattened tent camp houses earlier this year.
    "Haiti was already hit very heavily by another very serious storm in August, Isaac, people were just recovering from that. That storm hit the northernmost (area). Harvests were destroyed there. The remainder of the harvests in the south have now been destroyed as well," added Peleman.
    Residents in ramshackle neighbourhoods around Port-au-Prince were left homeless as Sandy swept through the area.
    Peleman fears Haiti may see a new outbreak of a cholera epidemic following the hurricane's aftermath.
    "What we fear most is that there might be spikes in waterborne diseases, especially cholera which we always see after flooding or rains in Haiti. And obviously, these people need to fed. They need blankets. They need temporary shelter, tents, tarpaulins, some basic tools to restart their lives because they've lost everything in their houses," he said.
    With Haiti's hurricane season running until November, the U.N. official warned the Caribbean country still remains vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.
    "The hurricane season isn't over yet. Haiti is very prone, vulnerable, to this type of disasters, (even after) only a couple of days of rain," said Peleman.
    According to officials in Haiti, Sandy's death toll has already surpassed the fifty mark.
    "Fifty-one confirmed deaths and still 15 people missing -- this is the latest information that the authorities have just released," reported Peleman.
    Much of Haiti's capital is still recovering from the 2010 catastrophic earthquake that killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands living in camp shelters.
    The hurricane now poses a menacing threat to the U.S. East Coast.
    Forecasters said Sandy is potentially spawning into a hybrid "super storm" that could wreak havoc along the U.S. East Coast.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register