Storms: at least five deaths and 3,209 affected families, the South and Nippes hit hardest

Rainfall that began on Saturday in Haiti has caused at least five deaths and affected twenty-one communes, according to the provisional tally of the General Directorate for Civil Protection (DGPC) and reports from Haitian media on Tuesday. Most of the victims died while trying to cross flooded rivers.

In its October 26 statement, the DGPC reported four deaths—one in the South, two in the Nippes, one in Grand'Anse—and two missing fishermen. The Quotidien 509 reported at least five deaths on Tuesday. The material toll is heavy: 3,209 affected families, 2,130 flooded houses, 847 destroyed homes and 219 damaged.

The Nippes region has been hit hardest with 1,285 flooded houses and eight overflowing rivers. Following are Grand'Anse (372 houses), the South (300), and the West (173). Twenty-one communes have been affected: six in Grand'Anse, five in the Nippes, four in the South, three in the West, and three in the Northwest.

In the South, four rivers have overflowed and the dam of the South ravine has collapsed. In Cayes, images broadcast by local media Cayes Info show the Dèyè Fò health center flooded and part of the Fonfrèd road washed away by a ravine, cutting off several neighborhoods from the rest of the city. The South Departmental Risk Management and Disaster Response Coordination indicates it has mobilized for the response.

Elsewhere, flooding was reported in downtown Baradères, at the Corail community center, and at the Fond’Icaques school. In Corail, local authorities had to clean up the flooded hospital. Between Jérémie and Chambellan, the road remains impassable at Laferme, where a ravine overflowed. The agricultural sector has recorded significant losses, with many plantations destroyed by overflowing rivers.

Civil Protection announced on Tuesday, October 27, at 11 am, the lifting of meteorological alerts across the entire territory, a decision made in conjunction with Haiti's Hydrometeorological Unit. Authorities are nevertheless calling on the population to maintain precautionary measures: rain remains possible in several departments and the risks of flooding and landslides have not disappeared.