Grace ravaged southwestern Haiti, the hardest hit by Saturday’s earthquake. Officials warned that some areas could receive 15 inches (38 cm) of rain before it moved on. Port-au-Prince was also hit hard by heavy rains.
Haiti was hit by a storm late Monday night. The country’s Civil Protection Agency also raised the death toll from the earthquake at 1,419 and the number injured to 6,000. Many of those affected have been left waiting for help in the heat, while others are still outside, unable to get medical attention.
On Tuesday, rains fell on the earthquake-damaged town of Les Cayes. The West Hemisphere’s most poor nation was losing patience. Haitians were already struggling with the coronavirus and gang violence as well as worsening poverty after the earthquake.
Bodies were still being pulled from the rubble and the smell of death hovered heavily over an apartment building with three stories. The body of a 3-year old girl was covered by a simple bedsheet that firefighters found just an hour before.
Joseph Boyer (53), a neighbor, claimed he knew the family of the girl.
He said, “The mother is in the hospital, but all three of her children died.” The bodies of the two other siblings were discovered earlier.
Volunteer firefighters from Cap-Hatien, a nearby city, had left the body in the rain as police are required to take it away.
James Luxama (24 years old) repeated another popular rumor that someone was sending texts for help from the rubble. Luxama, however, had never received or seen such a message.
An angry crowd of shouting men gathered before the building collapsed, an indication that people who had waited for days for government help were losing patience.
One man refused to identify himself, saying that “the photographers come through, and the press, but no tarps are for our roofs.” Jerry Chandler, the head of Haiti’s civil protection office, acknowledged this.
Chandler stated Tuesday that Earthquake assessments were halted due to heavy rain.
Around 20 soldiers eventually showed up to rescuers from the apartment building that had collapsed.
It was more evident that only poorly-equipped volunteers were able to provide adequate assistance.
“All we have is sledgehammers, and our hands.” “That’s the plan,” Randy Lodder (Canadian volunteer), director of Adoration Christian School Haiti.
Sarah Charles, Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs said that the disaster response teams had to stop operations Monday due to Hurricane Michael, but they were back Tuesday to assess the impact of the storm and continue their assistance.
Charles stated that he did not expect the death toll from the earthquake to be as high as the 2010 earthquake in which more than 200,000 people died.
She said that the scale of the damage was also not as severe than the earthquake and added: “That’s just not what we see on the ground right at the moment.”
John Morrison, Fairfax Co. (Virginia), Urban Search and Rescue’s public information officer, stated that the team was still searching for survivors. Two U.S. Coast Guard helicopters ferried rescuers to six communities that were in crisis on Monday.
Morrison stated that the team reported that food, shelter, water, sanitation, and health care are all priorities needs. Morrison also said that he has not yet seen any evidence of people trapped in buildings.
As Grace passed through southwestern Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula, rain and wind increased the risk of flash flooding and mudslides. It then headed toward Jamaica and southeastern Cuba. Forecasters predicted that it could turn into a hurricane before reaching Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Officials stated that the magnitude 7.2 earthquake caused more than 7,000 houses to be destroyed and nearly 5,000 homes to be damaged, rendering approximately 30,000 people homeless. Schools, hospitals, offices, churches, and schools were also destroyed or severely damaged.
Paul Menard, Jeremie Police Commissioner, denied that there was a social media report about looting following the earthquake.
Menard stated, “If it was going to happen it would have happened on the first or third night.”
Miyamoto International’s structural engineers visited disaster-prone areas Monday to assist with damage assessment and search and rescue efforts. Kit Miyamoto (CEO and president of the company) stated that their main duties included inspecting the government water towers and the offices damaged by charities in the area.
Miyamoto stated that he has seen earthquake-stricken areas become stronger. According to Miyamoto, the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince caused destruction that led masons and other builders to adopt better building practices. The Saturday morning earthquake was felt by residents. It was centered approximately 75 miles (121 km) west of the capital. People rushed to the streets but there were no reports about any damage.
Miyamoto stated that “Port-au-Prince building has improved since 2010 — I know this.” It’s a big difference, but it isn’t widely known. Port-au-Prince is the main focus.
