Source: alertnet // Megan Rowling
Children look up into the sky as a plane flies past their tent encampment in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince July 20, 2011. REUTERS/Swoan Parker
LONDON (AlertNet) – Aid agencies and the Haitian authorities are working to alert vulnerable communities to the threat of flooding and landslides from a tropical storm forecast to hit the island of Hispaniola on Wednesday night.
Tropical Storm Emily – the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season – intensified on Tuesday as it churned across the Caribbean on a path likely to take it over the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island. the Red Cross said it has activated emergency plans, including sending mobile phone text messages country-wide to warn people about the storm and advise them of simple measures to stay safe. Impoverished Haiti is still struggling to recover from the January 2010 earthquake that has left nearly 650,000 people living in tent camps in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince. this June, rains triggered flooding and mudslides, killing 23 people and worsening a cholera epidemic that has caused nearly 6,000 deaths since October. “Haiti faces threats of heavy rain and intense flooding over the next 48 hours which could have a devastating impact on the thousands of people still in camps, and the many more who are living in unsafe housing or flood-prone areas,” Marcel Goyeneche, disaster preparedness coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said in a statement. Preparations for the 2011 hurricane season, which runs from June to November, have been led by Haiti’s Civil Protection Department (DPC). on Tuesday the government moved to a state of red alert in its national plan for managing risks and disasters, warning of the threat of heavy rains, high winds, flooding and landslides across much of the country, which occupies the western half of Hispaniola. Residents of at-risk areas have been requested to listen to weather forecasts, to stay at home or move to shelters as advised by local authorities, make sure roofs and tents are well-secured, stock up on food, move possessions to a safe place, and be ready to evacuate areas affected by floods and landslides. the Red Cross has put its emergency response teams on standby throughout the country, and has pre-positioned emergency supplies to reach up to 125,000 people in vulnerable regions. Radyo Kwa Wouj, a weekly radio show backed by the international aid organisation, will also air an emergency broadcast offering advice on preparing for the storm and answering callers’ questions live on air. the Red Cross said its teams have been working with communities in camps and neighbourhoods over the past year to identify simple actions that can reduce the impact of storms and floods. the aid agency has run emergency first aid courses, training in early warning systems, disaster preparedness education in camps, and projects like digging ditches. For updated information on Tropical Storm Emily’s path and strength, visit the Tropical Storm Risk website.
Related posts:
- August 3 morning update on Tropical Storm Emily
- Tropical Storm Emily may re-form this weekend; 3 dead in D.R.
- Tropical Storm Emily: Wave founders, but is expected to grow into Atlantic’s fifth named storm
- FEMA Monitors Tropical Storm Bonnie « Disaster And Emergency …
- Hurricane Eugene Strengthens While Tropical Storm Emily Forms
