A rare tornado struck the Bassin Bleu region in northern Haiti on Tuesday, injuring more than 50 people and leaving about 300 homeless, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office.
Tornado emergency response activities continuation It was expected to continue until Thursday morning, with local authorities warning of major disruptions to transport and power in the region, and saying they could impose a nighttime curfew, especially if the weather turned more severe.
UN officials and local media Said Ten of the reported injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization. Heavy rains have lashed much of Haiti, hindering rescue efforts and threatening to cause floods and landslides, further exacerbating the suffering of many in the troubled Caribbean nation.
Flooding can cause outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, which have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti over the years. Pronounced In February 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared cholera to be over after three years with no confirmed cases, but new outbreaks have since emerged. Occurred October 2022.
People who lost their homes in the Bassembleu tornado participate More than 360,000 people have already been displaced in Haiti, mostly due to rampant gang violence in the embattled capital, Port-au-Prince, and local officials said many of the injured were people who had been displaced from nearby communities by gang violence.
People walk in front of burning tires during a protest against Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on February 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Odeline Joseph)
Haiti is prone to natural disasters, including: earthquake While there are the aforementioned floods, landslides, and disease outbreaks, tornadoes are rare.
Bassinbleu Mayor Anthony Manigat said the tornado was the worst he had ever seen, with enough power to down trees, destroy cars and send tons of debris into the air.
“I’d never seen anything like that in my life. It was like metal sheets raining down in the air,” he said. Said of Haiti Times on wednesday.
“We didn’t expect such strong winds combined with rain to cause this much damage,” said Chrisnet Saint-Georges, head of Haiti’s hydrometeorological unit.
“This is the first time in my life that the commune of Bassin Bleu has witnessed such a storm,” said Dominique Pierre, administrator of the nearby Bon Samaritan hospital.
Manigat appealed for emergency relief, including food and water, for the many people who had taken refuge at City Hall and on another property he owns.
