Haiti Braces for another Disaster – Hurricane Tomas

Added by James Morley on November 3, 2010

Haiti, western hemisphere’s poorest nation, has already suffered an earthquake with thousands of deaths and a cholera epidemic with more than 300 deaths reported so far.

With more than 1.3 million persons still living in survival camps, it now faces hurricane Tomas.

The hurricane is currently in the East Caribbean Sea and computer forecasts suggest that it shall shift to Haiti and Dominican Republic.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center stated that hurricane Tomas might strengthen further and that this category 1 hurricane is expected to hit Haiti hard.

The hurricane has already affected regions like Barbados, St Vincent and St Lucia and has wreaked havoc.

Trees have fallen, homes have crumbled and power lines were disconnected. In some places, regions have been cut of due to landslides and had to be approached by boat.

Insurance payout for just three major islands alone is expected to exceed $10m.

Hurricane Tomas has sustained top winds of 45 miles per hour and is expected to hit Haiti within the next week.

What makes matters worse for aid agencies is that the exact track remains uncertain.

Despite predictions, the storm may remain in the Caribbean and this uncertainty has worsened the situation for the population from this disaster prone country.