HAITI/ CUBA: Tropical Storm Noel leaves heavy flooding in Haiti and Cuba

Tropical Storm Noel strengthened as it began to head toward Florida and the Bahamas on Wednesday (October 31) after drenching Cuba and killing at least 61 people with surging floodwaters and mudslides in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In Haiti, the most vulnerable of Caribbean countries to flash floods and mudslides because most of its trees have been chopped down to make charcoal, at least 20 people died. Residents of the slum town of Cite Soleil were especially hard hit as flood waters entered their homes and winds damaged their property. About 3,400 people were staying in emergency shelters and around 400 houses had been destroyed. Over a thousand people are staying at this shelter according to a Brazilian United Nations soldier. "We're here at the national school. For the past two days, the cold rain has been punishing these people," he said. "We' re here with a thousand two hundred people in here... We're giving them medical help and food, coffee." He said the shelter will stay open through the storm. Civil protection officials have said at least 18 people have died in Haiti because of Tropical Storm Noel Noel's heavy rains have caused flooding but no casualties were reported in Cuba, which boasts one of the most effective civil protection operations in the region. The storm dumped as much as six inches (150 mm) of rain in just six hours in some parts of the country. Thousands of people were evacuated from vulnerable areas. Floods and downed trees cut off roads at the already water-logged eastern tip of the island. The storm has caused dozens of deaths and left over 20,00 people homeless as it swept through the Caribbean. The 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic storm season was not expected to strengthen into a hurricane over water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

ITN Source | November 1, 2007

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