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Tropical Storm Jeanne leaves more
than 500 dead in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE.—More than 1,000 people have died or
are missing as a result of Tropical Storm Jeanne,
particularly in the northeastern region of the
country where, at the close of this edition, more
bodies were being discovered and the banks of
certain rivers were at bursting point, threatening a
new floods.
According to the latest calculations from the Red
Cross, the number of casualties was at least 709,
principally in the city of Gonaives, reported EFE.
The government has declared the north and northeast
regions of the country disaster zones and decreed
national mourning.
The
almost 400 Cuban doctors who are working in Haiti
remain at their posts of work and are offering their
services.
Furthermore, the Gonaives brigade has been
reinforced and there are 16 members under the
direction of Dr. Juan Carlos Chávez, head of the
Cuban medical mission in Haiti.
MORE
THAN 32,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FLOODS IN THE
Dominican Republic
In
the Dominican Republic, Jeanne left 12 people dead,
261 injured and more than 32,000 stranded,
principally because of flooding caused when
riverbanks burst, while intense rainfall that forced
the authorities to evacuate some 40,000 people.
On
its course through the Caribbean, Jeanne was also
responsible for two deaths in Puerto Rico and
substantial material damage in the area.
IVAN: 112 DEATHS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND U.S.
At
the close of this edition, the remnants of powerful
Hurricane Ivan had killed another two people in
Pennsylvania, bringing the total number of
fatalities in the Caribbean and the United States to
112.
On
U.S. territory alone, Ivan was responsible for 35
deaths. In Florida, more than 340,000 homes and
businesses were left without electricity. Officials
said it would take weeks to restore this and other
services, such as water supplies.
In
Alabama, some 660,000 homes and businesses continue
without electricity. In this state, a record 1.1
million people were left without an electricity
supply after the hurricane hit on Thursday 16.
ACTIVE CYCLONE SEASON
The
annual hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean, the
Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico begins on June
1 and ends November 30, and has been particularly
active this year.
As
the time of writing, the 12th tropical storm of this
year’s season – Lisa – is currently developing in
the tropical Atlantic.
Besides Ivan and Jeanne, Hurricane Karl has also
formed in the last few days with maximum winds of
195 kilometers per hour. The phenomenon was heading
northwards without touching land.
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