Tropical Storm Grace Complicates Haiti’s Earthquake Relief Efforts
Tropical Storm Grace hit Haiti on Tuesday, complicating relief efforts that were put in place to protect the thousands of homeless residents who suffered from the weekend earthquake.
1,941 are confirmed dead, while 9,900 were injured and 60,759 houses were destroyed following the 7.2-magnitude quake on Saturday, the country’s Civil Protection Agency reported. The current storm could leave even more in despair as it raises the risk of mudslides and floods in the country.
According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Grace could leave some areas with up to 15 inches of rain before the storm moves on.
"[Tropical Storm Grace] is further disrupting access to water, shelter, and other basic services," United Nations Children’s Fund said in a statement Tuesday. "Flooding and mudslides are likely to worsen the situation of vulnerable families and further complicate the humanitarian response."
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation and it was already struggling with the coronavirus, gang violence, worsening poverty and the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse when the quake hit, AP News reported.
The recent spate of natural disasters in the region is creating further distress to the almost 1.2 million suffering Haitians.
The Pentagon announced it had formed a joint task force to assist the U.S. Agency for International Development in disaster relief efforts, while the UN and the European Union allocated $8 million and $3.5 million respectively in aid to Haiti, CNN reported.
Thousands of pounds of specialized equipment and medical supplies have also been deployed, along with food and hygiene relief supplies.
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