A sudden storm has left at least five quake survivors dead and dozens more wounded as it blasted through Haiti’s capital, tearing down shabby tent homes, trees and power lines.
Those killed on Friday included two young girls and a 93-year-old woman who lived in close quarters with the tens of thousands of people left homeless by the powerful January 12 quake that devastated this impoverished Caribbean nation, said civil protection official Nadia Lochard.
She said thousands of tents had been torn apart by the freak storm and the strong winds and heavy rains it dumped in a matter of hours on Port-au-Prince, still filled with rubble more than nine months after the quake.
“Thousands of tents have been destroyed or damaged or simply blown away by wind gusts. We began evacuating people to schools and other shelters,” said Lochard.
“People need blankets and clothes.”
Several other cities were also hit by the storm, prompting officials to fear a higher toll.
US meteorologists said the storm was not linked to any tropical storm system.
Meanwhile, tropical storm Matthew killed seven people in Venezuela and brought fresh misery to Central America, where hundreds have been killed in flooding and landslides this year. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated throughout the region.
In Port-au-Prince, strong winds blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and toppled power lines. Tents were blown away at a refugee camp near the presidential palace, and the wind knocked over public toilets, victims said.
Dozens of tent dwellers protested from the steps of the presidential palace, which was also levelled in the quake.
“We were unable to enter this camp to evaluate damage. People were angry,” a civil protection agent explained.