42 dead after floods in Haiti
At least 42 people have died and others are missing following severe floods and mudslides in Haiti. The country is already suffering from hunger and violence. Helpless, a man watches as all his belongings float away. He and his family stand on the roof of their house – the only way not to be carried away by the muddy waters. Nearly 13,400 people had to leave their homes. Social media images document the floods, with cars and facades floating away as if they were as light as inflatable boats.
The weekend’s heavy rainfall has plunged Haiti into crisis once again. The country’s civil defense agency reported that at least 42 people have died as a result of flooding and mudslides, with eight more missing.
The capital, Port-au-Prince, is also affected by the flooding and mudslides. A reporter reports on a flooded field in the port city of Leogane, about 50 kilometers from the capital. “We want to support the people,” the journalist describes. “But we have no idea how to get to the other side. We don’t know what will happen.”
More than 1,200 homes have been flooded. Their owners are now without a home and without electricity, which is dangerous especially at night.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he is working with local authorities and international organizations to make emergency aid possible for those affected. However, Haiti has an almost non-existent infrastructure to respond quickly.
Where government aid does not arrive, people try to support each other. Videos online show a man fighting against the floods. He holds a baby in his arms and is standing in water up to his waist. From the adjacent rooftops, other flood victims spur him on – in the end, he manages to save himself and the child from the water.
Fields in central Haiti were also destroyed in the flood disaster – this in a country where many people already suffer from hunger. According to the World Food Programme of the United Nations, almost half of the Haitian population has difficulty feeding themselves. In addition, criminal gangs control much of the country, with the state sometimes existing only on paper.
The hurricane season in the region has only just begun this month and runs until November. The crisis in Haiti will last for an indefinite period of time.
