A devastating flood in Haiti has killed over 50 people and left 85 injured, reports CNN. As of Wednesday morning, over 13,300 people have been displaced, and at least 11 others have been declared missing after thousands of homes have been flooded.
Because of the severe rainfall over the weekend, several rivers in the country have overflowed causing landslides, rockslides and flash flooding.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry stated that his administration is marshaling all of the country’s resources along with international assistance to address the natural disaster.
“My government, in concert with national and international institutions, is taking urgent measures in order to meet the demands of the hour,” the prime minister tweeted.
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Je suis encore, ce matin, au Centre d’Opération d’Urgence National (#COUN) pour avoir un bilan actualisé de la situation, à la suite des intempéries qui affectent, particulièrement, les départements de l’Ouest, des Nippes, du Sud-Est, du Nord-Ouest et de la Grand’Anse. pic.twitter.com/nBk1Bbojoy
— Dr Ariel Henry (@DrArielHenry) June 4, 2023
“We’ll start providing hot meals to displaced people in the coming hours & are mobilizing ready-to-eat rations & dry food,” the World Food Programme said.
On Monday, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that more flooding could take place as more rainfall is expected in the coming days.
“In the event of another heavy rainfall, the waterlogged soils will be unable to prevent further flooding, rockslides, and landslides, and the provisional death toll could rise even higher,” it said.
Hurricane season, which began on June 1, 2023, has the potential to cause even more damage.
In addition to massive rainfall and flooding, Haiti also experienced a 4.9 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday that left four people dead and dozens more injured. Three of the deceased are from the same family and they were found under a collapsed house where rescuers were searching for more people, Frankel Maginaire, with Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency.
Per the U.S. Geological Survey,” the quake struck before dawn near the southwestern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of six miles.”
Tuesday’s quake struck almost two years after almost 2,220 people were killed by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in southern Haiti. The country has been devastated by natural disasters and political turmoil over the last few years.
Dr. Didinu Tamakloe, Haiti director for Project Hope, a U.S. aid organization, said that Haiti has been reeling from disasters that have struck the country.
“Disasters keep hitting Haiti, left and right,” Tamakloe said. “People have not had sufficient time to recover from previous disasters, only to be hit by flash floods, an earthquake, and landslides in a matter of days.”
