A shaken Haiti braces as Tomas nears

November 04, 2010|Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Fear and confusion swept over more than 1 million homeless Haitians yesterday after officials advised them to abandon tent camps in Haiti’s rubble-choked capital before Tropical Storm Tomas arrives tomorrow.

Few of the earthquake survivors who have spent nearly 10 months alternately baking and soaking under plastic tarps and tents have anywhere to go.

Painfully slow reconstruction from the quake and the recent commitment of government resources to fight a growing cholera epidemic have left people with few options.

“We are using radio stations to announce to people that if they don’t have a place to go, but they have friends and families, they should move into a place that is secure,’’ said civil protection official Nadia Lochard.

Disaster officials have extended a red alert, their highest storm warning, to all regions of the country, as the storm is expected to wind its way up the west coast of Hispaniola through Gonaives and Cap-Haitien tomorrow.