Tropical storm drenching earthquake-stricken Haiti

By MARK STEVENSON and EVENS SANON

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) — Tropical Storm Grace swept implicit Haiti with drenching rains conscionable 2 days aft a almighty earthquake battered the impoverished Caribbean nation, adding to the misery of thousands who mislaid loved ones, suffered injuries oregon recovered themselves stateless and forcing overwhelmed hospitals and rescuers to enactment quickly.

Heavy rainfall and beardown winds overnight whipped astatine the country’s southwestern area, deed hardest by Saturday’s quake, and officials warned that rainfall could scope 15 inches (38 centimeters) successful immoderate areas earlier the tempest moved on. Port-au-Prince, the capital, besides saw dense rains. Grace regained tropical tempest presumption aft falling to the level of a tropical depression.

The tempest arrived connected the aforesaid time that the country’s Civil Protection Agency raised the decease toll from the earthquake to 1,419 and the fig of injured to 6,000, galore of whom person had to hold for aesculapian assistance lying extracurricular successful wilting heat.

Grace’s rainfall and upwind raised the menace of mudslides and flash flooding arsenic it dilatory passed by southwestern Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula earlier heading toward Jamaica and southeastern Cuba connected Tuesday. Forecasters said it could beryllium a hurricane earlier hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The quake astir wrecked immoderate towns successful the latest catastrophe to befall the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation. Haitians already were struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, pack violence, worsening poorness and the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

“We are successful an exceptional situation,” Prime Minister Ariel Henry told reporters Monday day arsenic the tempest approached.

A infirmary successful the severely damaged municipality of Les Cayes was truthful crowded with patients aft the earthquake that galore had to prevarication successful patios, corridors, verandas and hallways, but the approaching tempest had officials scrambling to relocate them arsenic champion they could.

“We had planned to enactment up tents (in infirmary patios), but we were told that could not beryllium safe,” said Gede Peterson, manager of Les Cayes General Hospital.

It is not the archetypal clip the infirmary has been forced to improvise. The refrigeration successful the hospital’s morgue has not worked for 3 months, but aft the earthquake struck Saturday, unit had to store arsenic galore arsenic 20 bodies successful the tiny space. Relatives rapidly came to instrumentality astir to backstage embalming services oregon contiguous burial. By Monday, lone 3 bodies were successful the morgue.

“We are moving present to guarantee that the resources we person are going to get to the places that are hardest hit,” said Civil Protection Agency caput Jerry Chandler, referring to the towns of Les Cayes and Jeremie and the section of Nippes.

Quake victims continued to watercourse to Les Cayes’ hospital, waiting connected step steps, successful corridors and connected an unfastened veranda.

“After 2 days, they are astir ever mostly infected,” said Dr. Paurus Michelete, who had treated 250 patients and was 1 of lone 3 doctors connected telephone erstwhile the quake hit. He added that symptom killers, analgesics and alloy pins to mend fractures were moving retired amid the crush of patients.

Meanwhile, rescuers and scrap metallic scavengers dug into the floors of a collapsed edifice successful the coastal town, wherever 15 bodies had already been extracted. Jean Moise Fortunè, whose brother, the edifice proprietor and a salient politician, was killed successful the quake, believed determination were much radical trapped successful the rubble.

But based connected the size of voids that workers cautiously peered into, possibly a ft (30 centimeters) successful depth, uncovering survivors appeared unlikely.

As work, substance and wealth ran out, hopeless Les Cayes residents searched collapsed houses for scrap metallic to sell. Others waited for wealth wired from abroad, a mainstay of Haiti’s system adjacent earlier the quake.

Anthony Emile waited six hours successful a enactment with dozens of others trying to get wealth that his member had wired from Chile, wherever helium has worked since the 2010 quake that devastated Haiti’s superior and killed tens of thousands.

“We person been waiting since greeting for it, but determination are excessively galore people,” said Emile, a banana husbandman who said relatives successful the countryside beryllium connected him for wealth to survive.

In Jeremie, Police Commissioner Paul Menard denied a societal media study of looting.

“If it were going to happen, it would person been connected the archetypal oregon 2nd night,” Menard said.

Officials said the magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed much than 7,000 homes and damaged astir 5,000, leaving immoderate 30,000 families homeless. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches besides were demolished oregon severely damaged.

Josil Eliophane, 84, crouched connected the steps of Les Cayes General Hospital, clutching an X-ray showing his shattered limb bony and pleading for symptom medication. Michelete said helium would springiness 1 of his fewer remaining shots to Eliophane, who ran retired of his location arsenic the quake hit, lone to person a partition autumn connected him.

Nearby, connected the hospital’s open-air veranda, patients were connected beds and mattresses, hooked up to IV bags of saline fluid. Others laic successful the plot nether furniture sheets raised to shield them from the sun. None of the patients oregon relatives caring for them wore look masks contempt a coronavirus surge.

Structural engineers from Miyamoto International, a planetary earthquake and structural engineering firm, visited hard-hit areas Monday to assistance with harm appraisal and hunt and rescue efforts. Chief among their duties was inspecting authorities h2o towers and the damaged offices of charities successful the region, said CEO and president Kit Miyamoto.

Miyamoto said helium has seen places devastated by earthquakes physique backmost stronger. He said the demolition successful Port-au-Prince from the 2010 tremor led masons and others to amended gathering practices. People successful the superior felt the Saturday greeting tremor, centered astir 75 miles to the west, and rushed into the streets successful fearfulness but determination weren’t immoderate reports of harm there.

“Port-au-Prince gathering is overmuch amended than it was successful 2010 — I cognize that,” Miyamoto said. “It’s a immense difference, but that cognition is not widespread. The absorption is decidedly connected Port-au-Prince.”

___

Associated Press writers Trenton Daniel successful New York and Regina Garcia Cano successful Mexico City contributed to this report.