Hurricane Tomas kills at least 20 people in Haiti

[News_Editor]

Hurricane Tomas kills at least 20 people in Haiti

2010-11-08 22:47:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (BNO NEWS) -- At least 20 people were killed and several others are still missing in disaster-stricken Haiti after the country was hit by hurricane Tomas over the weekend, the Haitian Civil Protection Department said on Monday.

Tomas, a category one storm, has left at least twenty people killed while seven others are still reported missing. The Haitian Civil Protection Department also reported that 36 others were injured.

According to the latest figures, 36,755 people were evacuated and at least 31,731 are still in 120 temporary shelters. Some 885 houses were also destroyed and 5,069 others were damaged, leaving 5,954 families affected.

According to local officials, the country will need at least $18 million to cope with the devastation caused by Tomas, which flooded several towns in the impoverished country. Haiti is still trying to recover from a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck close to Port-au-Prince on January 12, killing more than 230,000 people. Additionally, parts of Haiti are trying to cope with a cholera outbreak that has already claimed more than 500 lives.

Tomas also caused heavy rains in the Dominican Republic, and less intense rainfall in Cuba and Puerto Rico. On St. Lucia, 14 people were killed while one person was killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

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