4 Dead In Haiti Due To T.S. Isaac
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CBSMiami) — While Tropical Storm Isaac speeds its way towards South Florida, it has already left a path of destruction in Haiti. At least four Haitians were reported dead; a woman and a child in Souvenance and a 10-year-old girl in Thomazeau. Thousands were evacuated because of flooding.
The storm flooded parts of Haiti and tore apart tents people have been living in since the deadly 2010 earthquake.
Isaac dumped almost non-stop torrential rains on Haiti for two days, which triggered mudslides and major flooding.
Residents worried swelling rivers would wash away their homes.
The winds destroyed parts of the tent cities in Port-au-Prince, tore apart some of the capital's corrugated shacks, blew off the roofs of other homes and knocked down wires and light poles.
Many lost what few belongings they had, while others struggled to salvage what they could.
It was sheer misery for the impoverished residents of the tent cities who just couldn't stay dry for hours on end.
The United Nations allowed children under eight to seek shelter with a parent in one of its offices and the International Organization said it's ready to distribute food and emergency supplies for three hundred thousand people.
Ten thousand UN troops are also prepared to help clear roads for emergency response teams.
But Haitians fear the flooding could reignite a cholera epidemic which has killed more than 7,500 people since October of 2010.
A UN spokesman said the damage is not quite as bad as feared, but there's no doubt this is another significant setback for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, a country Mother Nature just keeps battering with all her fury.
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