Four killed as heavy rains batter Haiti

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – The General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC), says the provisional death toll from the heavy rains which have been battering Haiti over the past three days, stands at four, with two others reported missing. In a statement, the DGPC said that the weather has, since last Saturday, persisted over the Greater Antilles, triggering intense rainfall across Haiti and that the rains have resulted in fatalities and widespread damage. It said in total, 21 communes have been affected and that the provisional death toll stands at four with 3,209 families affected. Two fishermen are also reported missing. The Civil Protection agency reports 2,130 houses in Nippes, Grand’Anse, South and West Haiti have been flooded and that 847 homes have been destroyed with another 219 sustaining damage. Several rivers are overflowing in the Nippes department, four in the South department, while fooding has also been reported in the town center of Baradères. Roads have been cut off, and communications remain difficult. The authorities report that significant losses have been recorded in the agricultural sector, with numerous plantations destroyed. Haiti’s Hydro-Meteorological Unit (UHM), in coordination with the DGPC and the SPGRD, has raised the alert level with several areas including Grand’Anse, Sud, Nippes, Sud-Est, and Ouest departments being placed under an orange alert, while the Artibonite and Nord-Ouest departments are now under a yellow alert. The DGPC said it is gradually opening temporary shelters.