The latest hurricane that touched Haiti left behind 20 fatalities, which is above double of the initial reports, according to the Haitian civil protection authorities.
Dozens of people were injured and at least seven people are still missing after Tomas’s brush. While more than 30,000 people are still in shelters, the hurricane produced more material damages to the already hard-struck by calamities country, leaving some 6,000 families without homes. Victims of the earthquake in January this year saw their tents destroyed.
Hurricane Tomas hit the Southern peninsula of Haiti on Friday and made its way up the coast. Although it provoked floods and landslides in its passing, the strongest storms did not come too close to the capital, staying to the far-west of the city. This spared more than a million people who have been living in encampments since the tragic earthquake on January 12.
While the hurricane seems to have left Haitians alone, the authorities still have to fight a raging cholera that has killed more than 500 and lead to 7,500 being put in the hospital. The recent floods are expected to spread the epidemic, while damages to transportation infrastructure and buildings could sever people’s access to treatment.
