Death Toll In Haiti From Jeanne Surpasses 3000

[senorpepr]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Haiti's death toll from last month's devastating flooding rose to more than 3,000 on Tuesday, according to government officials who released what they believe is the final death tally.

Tropical Storm Jeanne swept north of Haiti nearly three weeks ago and lashed the Caribbean nation with heavy rains that triggered massive flooding and mudslides and washed away whole villages.

Haiti's secretary of state for environment, Yves Andre Wainright, said those killed in the flooding numbered 3,006 and included 2,826 in the mud-crusted coastal city of Gonaives.

The toll has climbed steadily as rescue workers reached remote areas and recovered bodies buried in the mud. Wainright and a government official in Gonaives, Carl Murat Cantave, said those missing since the floods struck were now presumed dead, and they did not expect the toll to rise further.

In Geneva on Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies nearly tripled its aid appeal for Haiti, and said $9.2 million was urgently needed to avert a humanitarian crisis.

Some 200,000 people in Gonaives lost their homes, belongings and livelihoods in the hurricane.
Wainright said relief agencies had provided emergency food to 256,000 people in the flood areas. The aid food distribution has been marred by unruly crowds of hungry people, and by armed gangs that have looted convoys.

Deadly clashes kept customs agents and dock workers from showing up for work in Haiti's capital, delaying the delivery of nearly 2,500 tons of food to the flood-stricken north.

Nearly half the 250,000 people in the devastated northwestern city of Gonaives remain hungry nearly three weeks after Tropical Storm Jeanne thundered through.

Anne Poulsen of the U.N. World Food Program called the situation extremely serious: "No one can afford to leave people in Gonaives without food even for a day or two."

On Tuesday, children tossed bread from the back of a truck to Gonaives storm survivors who negotiated slippery, mud-mired roads to grab the plastic-wrapped loaves.

Hundreds lined up for aid at U.N. food centers, but thousands of people are too weak, sick or frail to get to food. Some food is looted before it gets to distribution points, and some people are robbed of their rations by the street gangsters for which Gonaives is infamous.

On Tuesday morning, a group of young men armed with rocks and metal bars blocked the road and jumped on four trucks leaving a warehouse with the largest food stocks in Gonaives. The attackers let the trucks go after discovering they were empty.

[Ixolib]

That is unimaginable!! What else is there to say......

[chadtm80]

So sad I just hope that this shows people that storms are DANGEROUS weather they are a TS or a Cat 5..

God Bless them all

[Anonymous]

Why the smile?

[WeatherEmperor]

That is just plain horrible to know that over 3,000 are dead. This brings back alot of flashes about hearing how many people died from Hurricane Mitch back in 98'.

<RICKY>

[chadtm80]

Why the smile?

Sorry, obviously was a mistake

[Hurricanehink]

Wow, poor country. First the tropical depression back in May killing 2000+, now Jeanne, poor country

[HurricaneBill]

That is unimaginable!! What else is there to say......

Gangs suck.

Geez, Jeanne is now the deadliest Caribbean hurricane since Hurricane Flora in 1963.

Jeanne will definitely be retired hands-down. I know Gordon wasn't, but I doubt that the WMO will make the same mistake twice. 3000 people dead is just too high to not retire it.

[HurricaneBill]

That is just plain horrible to know that over 3,000 are dead. This brings back alot of flashes about hearing how many people died from Hurricane Mitch back in 98'.

<RICKY>

At least Honduras was able to cope with Mitch. Yes, I know it was an absolute disaster area, but at least in Honduras, relief aid was able to get to the victims.

[Anonymous]

The unimaginable disaster in Haiti just breaks my heart! This is TOO MUCH! I can't take any more of these hurricanes. Too many innocent people are suffering and dying.

The churches need to pitch in and send people and resources to Haiti and help those poor folks!!

I used to think I would find the endtimes disasters fascinating but I was WRONG!! This is horrifying! I can't stand anymore disasters.

Please God have mercy on Haiti and on the whole world and on America. Please, no more of these horrific disasters for a long time. Please give all of us time to recover. Please give us time to help the Haitians and the battered folks in Florida.

Please God, no more hurricanes this year.

We've had enough. Please make the Bay of Campeche disturbance just die off and go away.

[weatherlover427]

What a tragedy. It is unfortunate to read about this most unfortunate disaster. I sincerely hope that they can recover ASAP.

[StrongWind]

The unimaginable disaster in Haiti just breaks my heart! This is TOO MUCH! I can't take any more of these hurricanes. Too many innocent people are suffering and dying.

The churches need to pitch in and send people and resources to Haiti and help those poor folks!!

I used to think I would find the endtimes disasters fascinating but I was WRONG!! This is horrifying! I can't stand anymore disasters.

Please God have mercy on Haiti and on the whole world and on America. Please, no more of these horrific disasters for a long time. Please give all of us time to recover. Please give us time to help the Haitians and the battered folks in Florida.

Please God, no more hurricanes this year.

We've had enough. Please make the Bay of Campeche disturbance just die off and go away.

Amen. It's disturbing to see some people rooting for something to develop just because they're bored and want something to track.