ARTICLE - A WEEK OF RAIN

SITUATION IN DETAIL AFTER A WEEK OF RAIN
(Haiti Libre) -

After a week of rain,... the Ministry of Interior (Directorate of Civil Protection) report dated Friday, April 27, 2012 [6:00 pm] is heavy, and reports numerous victims, thousands of affected families, blocked roads, considerable agricultural losses, and heads of cattle washed away.

The National Meteorological Center (CNM) indicated on Friday that the weather situation was still characterized by a surface trough, whose axis was between Cuba and Haiti. For this purpose, the activities of rain and thunderstorms will continue to influence the whole country for the next 48 hours. A slight improvement in weather conditions are expected Sunday and Monday. However, they are likely to deteriorate again on Tuesday.

In relation to this situation, the CNM, in accordance with the SPGRD and the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), has, once again, asked residents of areas at risk of flooding, landslides and mudslides to put into practice all safety precautions during rainstorms. Given the intensity of the threat, the SPGRD maintained, this Friday, the orange vigilance level for heavy rains.

Nippes Department:
Entire department: Intermittent rains were recorded throughout the department from April 23 to 25, with direct impacts on infrastructure, agriculture and the health sectors.

Anse-à-Veau: The Grande Rivière and the river Froide overflowed and destroyed gardens of maize and beans.

Arnaud: A mother and her son, who were returning from school, have been found dead. They had attempted to traverse a ravine in flood.

L’Azile: The Serpent, Mahot and Despins rivers are still flooding. A culvert on the section from Vieux Bourg d’Aquin and L’Azile was destroyed A culvert at Paul (1st section of Azile) was also destroyed.

Baradères: The downtown area is still flooded. Traffic is so far ensured using canoes. Water levels reach more than two (2) meters near the mouth of the river at Baradères. The temporary shelter, which opened Monday at the National School of Baradères, still houses 210 displaced people;

Fond-de-Nègres: A man is dead, washed away

Miragoâne: The civil protection found localized flooding in Dufour, Nan Bouzi, Fond Jean Simon, Démisaine and Abraham; Health facilities have recorded on Friday, two new cases of cholera at Belleau. The NGO "International Solidarity" had reported 3 deaths from cholera in the fourth section of Miragoâne, earlier this week.

Petite-Rivière: The municipal cemetery, situated along the sea, is under water. This would be the result of work undertaken to raise up the pavement by a construction firm.

Plaisance: Rivers and ravines, in flood in the town, devastated plantations.

DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH:
Entire Departement: The situation is stable in all the communes.  The principal rivers have started to decrease in size, at Port-a-Piment and Maniche

Les Anglais: A man, 50, and a woman, 33, died, carried away by the Anglais river, which has since started to decrease in size.

DEPARTMENT OF THE WEST:
Entire department: Moderate rains have been recorded in almost all municipalities, causing overflowing and flooding of ravines in at risk communities; These rains have affected 35 camps in the communes of Carrefour, Cite Soleil, Croix des Bouquets, Delmas, Petion-Ville, Port-au-Prince and Tabarre. More than 2,328 families are in trouble.

Carrefour: A 6 year old boy died in Lambi 5, town of Carrefour, after a rock fall on a tent;

Gressier: A mass of rock broke loose and destroyed a house in Mariani 13.

Cité-Soleil: Ten (10) neighborhoods are flooded (Ti Haïti, Dube, Lintho I, Bois Neuf, Cité Lumière, Cité Gérard, Terre Noire, Vincent, Samarie and Germain), and the situation is critical in Carrefour Vincent. 3,818 families are affected.

Port-au-Prince: A 39 year old woman is dead following a landslide in Nan Ti Bois, eighth communal section of Martissant.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS: Rainfall activities are recorded over several departments of the country including Grand Anse and the Southeast; In the latter department, one person died and another is missing (crossing a swollen river) during heavy rains rains that fell including on the municipality of Cotes de Fer (164.2 mm in the coastal community of Mayette) The Municipal Civil Protection Committee reported agricultural losses, of livestock, and damaged roads. At the departmental level of Grand Anse, two people died in Moron, swept away by the Grand Anse river. Rivers are in flood, including in Abricots.

The situation numbers: The balance sheet, updated Friday, April 27 at 6h00pm from information transmitted by the Emergency Preparedness Departmental Committees, indicates: Ten (10) dead and one missing; More than 7,600 families are affected, including 3,818 whose homes are flooded in the neighborhoods of Cite Soleil, and more than 2,328 affected people living in camps in the West. Some 62 houses were destroyed; 210 people in shelters; Several stretches of road cut in the departments concerned; Substantial agricultural losses: corn, beans, bananas ... ; Livestock washed away.