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Haiti frets as Danny loses strength

Experts worried rain could trigger flooding, landslides

The Columbian
Published: August 24, 2015, 5:00pm

Haitian disaster and weather experts are continuing to keep an eye on once powerful Hurricane Danny as it continues to weaken, warning those living in at-risk areas to remain vigilant.

“Our biggest vulnerabilities as you know with rainfall are flooding, flash floods and landslides,” said Ronald Semelfort, Haiti’s chief meteorologist. “We have to cease counting bodies.”

Danny, which had reached Category 3 hurricane status, was continuing to lose strength with winds down to 30 mph as of 11 a.m. Monday. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and U.S. and British Virgin Islands were forecast to receive between 2 to 4 inches of rainfall.

Semelfort said the weather system will bring much-needed rain to a drought-stricken Haiti in the next 24 to 48 hours, but concerns remain it could also trigger flooding and flash floods.

“It could still pose a threat to all of the departments,” he said. “They could all receive a lot of rains that trigger flooding and landslides. We are asking for the mobilization of all of the departments.”

As a result of the threat, the Civil Protection Office has launched radio ads, asking those who live in areas at risk for flash floods and landslides to remain aware of the pending weather.

Marie-Alta Jean-Baptiste, the head of the Civil Protection Office, said while officials are continuing to keep an eye on Danny as it weakens, they are also watching two others systems that the National Hurricane Center is tracking to see if they develop in the coming days. Monday morning, forecasters predicted the system 1,250 miles east of the Lesser Antilles could become a tropical depression later in the day. The system is headed west at about 20 mph.

On Sunday, the Civil Protection Office sent disaster relief supplies to the northwest department, which includes the city of Port-de-Paix and the island of Ile de la Tortue. On Monday, there were plans to also send supplies to the Central Plateau and the towns of Ouanaminthe in the northeast and Fonds-Verrettes in the west.

Weather concerns come as Haiti enters day four of CARIFESTA, a 10-day cultural showcase featuring artists and food from around the Caribbean as well as the United States, Canada and Mexico. Rains cut short the outdoor, opening day ceremony on Friday and on Sunday night, a heavy downpour, not associated with Danny, also forced the cancellation of performances.

Not letting the weather get them down, however, a 43-member junkanoo band from the Bahamas featuring some of the country’s best musicians paraded through the lobby of the Marriott hotel near downtown Port-au-Prince.

The surprise performance had everyone from Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell to Caribbean Community Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque and Colin Granderson, respectively, dancing in the aisles.

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