Death Toll From Storm in Haiti Now at 829 and Expected to Rise
The official death toll from Tropical Storm Gordon rose Wednesday to 829, but the government cautioned that the final count could go much higher.
“In some regions the dead have not yet been counted,” Agriculture Minister Francois Severin said as he released the latest government report on the Nov. 13 destruction.
Hundreds more Haitians were hurt and 10,000 to 15,000 left homeless when torrential rains created flash floods and landslides, washing away shanties in the capital and along Haiti’s southern peninsula.
Gordon’s destruction here far outpaced that in Jamaica, Cuba, Florida or the Carolinas. Severin blamed the severity of the destruction on heavy erosion along Haiti’s hillsides, many of them crammed with shacks built on weak foundations.
Zoning and building codes are not enforced, and there is no river flood control. Poor communications prevented most Haitians from hearing storm warnings.
With crops destroyed, roads and bridges washed away, and unburied bodies contaminating the drinking water, the survivors are vulnerable to hunger and disease.
The government, in a coordinated effort with non-governmental agencies and international donors, provided about $3.2 million in emergency funds.
The destruction is among the worst here since Hurricane Allen killed at least 1,000 Haitians in 1980.
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