Haiti/Hurricane Hanna: 10 dead

Hurricane Hanna Gonaïves flooding
At least ten people have died in Haiti, in the city of Gonaïves, following floods caused by Hurricane Hanna, local police said today.

In Haiti, flooding caused by Hurricane Hanna, which followed Gustav, has left at least ten people dead in the northern city of Gonaïves. The mayor has declared a state of emergency in the city.

Witnesses report that almost the entire city is flooded.

To support the region and the victims, CP: 17-247681-2, fully donated to Gonaïves by the Friends of EPI Association in Haiti – Switzerland, mention «Hurricane Hanna».»

Local authorities made this initial assessment as Hurricane Hanna, classified as category 1 on a scale of 5, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now forecasting heavy rains for Haiti.

In its latest bulletin Tuesday morning, the NHC said Hanna could become a hurricane again sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.

«"I saw about ten bodies floating in the flooded streets of the city." This is what the police commissioner of Gonaïves, north of Port-au-Prince in Haiti, said after Hurricane Hanna passed through.

According to a resident of the city, the water level is overflowing some of the city's houses and is starting to reach the roofs where some residents have taken refuge. "Practically the entire city is flooded, there is water everywhere. The water is rising to more than two meters in some areas of the city.", the city's mayor, Stephen Moïse, had previously assured.

"There are certainly many victims, but for the moment we cannot make a final assessment.", declared Edson Mondélus, journalist at Radio Etincelle, in Gonaïves. "The city's main hospital is flooded, and patients are huddled together in a single ward. The situation is critical.", lamented a doctor on site.

Hurricane Hanna, classified as a Category 1 on a scale of 5, was downgraded to a tropical storm Tuesday morning. According to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hanna is expected to continue producing heavy rains in Haiti. Haitian authorities are urged to monitor the storm's progress, particularly along the country's northern coast.

Four years ago, the city of Gonaïves was badly hit by Tropical Storm Jeanne, and eight days ago, Hurricane Gustav killed 77 people as it passed through the country, according to the latest figures released Monday by Haitian authorities.

At 2 p.m. (French time), Hanna was heading toward the Bahamas at a speed of 4 km/h. The tropical storm could become a hurricane again later today, according to the NHC, and is expected to reach the U.S. coast on Friday or Saturday.