Caribbean floods left 3,300 dead, missing (31,130 people homeless)

The Star .com ^ | 6/05/04

[Libloather]

Caribbean floods left 3,300 dead, missing
Jun. 5, 2004. 08:51 AM

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - The toll of dead and missing from floods that ravaged parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic was set at more than 3,300 on Friday as aid workers reached the most remote areas. In Haiti, the official death toll was at 1,191 and the number of missing at 1,484. The figures on the Dominican side of the border were 395 dead and 274 missing.

That brought the overall toll to at least 3,344 from flooding caused by days of rains that unleashed torrents of water and mudslides on the border area of Hispaniola island nearly two weeks ago.

The new official figures totalling 1,586 confirmed dead in both countries is lower than the 1,700 reported earlier, a figure based on accounts by the government, witnesses and journalists.

"The death toll is higher than expected, and surely it will continue to rise," said Marko Kokic, a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross Services.

Aid workers said hundreds of victims washed away in floodwaters or buried in mudslides will probably never be found.

Red Cross workers found 17 bodies Thursday as they took a boat through the southern Haitian town of Mapou, still submerged following the May 24 floods.

Many decomposing corpses were hurriedly buried in mass graves and wherever they were found - some before they could be counted, Dominican Emergency Commission chief Radhames Lora Salcedo said.

Officials said the floods damaged or destroyed thousands of homes on both sides of the border. Crops were washed away along with numerous livestock.

Among the living, thousands remain in desperate need. Haiti's Civil Protection Agency estimated 31,000 Haitians were affected by one of the worst natural disasters to strike the Caribbean.

The Red Cross said more than 6,000 families need food and shelter between the hardest-hit Haitians towns of Mapou and Fond Verrettes, about 20 kilometres apart.

[Libloather]

New storms could threaten 2,000 more Haitians: Red Cross
Fri Jun 4, 4:25 PM ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - A new storm could ravage four southeastern Haitian towns, threatening up to 2,000 people in this Caribbean island state ravaged by flash floods last week, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned.

The towns of Barrois, Nan Galette, Nan Roche and Saint-Michel risk being buried by loose rocks and mud, said Jean-Jacques Fresard, who suggested moving people to temporary shelters on higher ground.

"We will not be blamed for something that was predicted and that could happen with more rain," he said, adding that not to take precautions "would be morally unacceptable."

Torrential rains triggered widespread flash floods on May 24 that killed at least 1,191 people and left 1,184 missing, Haitian officials said.

The floods destroyed 2,399 homes and left 31,130 people homeless.

More than 400 people were killed by floods in the neighboring Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

[Libloather]

Bump...

[The Scourge of Yazid]

This problem would not be nearly as catastrophic for the Hation populace if their country had not been denuded of close to 95% of its forestation.

The ecological policies pursued by Haiti for the past century have had disastrous consequences for the Haitian people.

[WVNan]

I keep wondering why some government agency isn't investing in programs to plant Megaflora trees around the world in places that have been deforested. These trees are the answer to myriads of problems. I can't understand why someone is not pushing them. They are miraculous trees.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

To be perfectly honest, I'm not well versed in the ways of agriculture or environmental sustainability. But from what I've heard of the deforestation that's taken place in Haiti, it seems as if this is one of the major political problems that they'll have to resolve if they ever want to move into the 21st Century.

There are several great books that expose the failures of most of these NGOs and U.N., World Bank, I.M.F. interventions into the affairs of countries like Haiti.

The best thing they could is to call on individual experts-including members of the Haitian diaspora-to come to Haiti and collaborate on an immense effort to turn this situation around; if that is even feasible at this point in time.

[FITZ]

If the Dominicans had so many fewer deaths, it must be something like that --- poor Haitians --- I guess Clinton didn't do so well with his nation-building.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

As poorly developed as the D.R. is-a lot of their current plight can be laid at the feet of Haiti's occupation of the country for over two decades, plus, the tyrannical and incompetent reign of Rafael Trujillo, subsequently followed by the rampant cronyism and political corruption of his protege, Mr. Balaguer-it is not in the dire straits that Haiti now finds itself in.

Aside from Cuba-and perhaps, at the moment, Venezuela-the people of Haiti are in a more perilous situation than citizens of any other republic in the Western Hemisphere.