Here are a few images from this relatively ignored but no less destructive storm still raging through the Caribbean; thus far, leaving 5 dead in Haiti:
Hurricane Alpha making landfall on the island of the Hispaniola (comprised of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) early yesterday
Haitians holding on for dear life on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday
Haitians who escaped the floods could find no shelter from the storm
Dominican children being sheltered from the storm in San juan de la Maguana just outside Santo Domingo
Haitian children scavenging for food amid the debris that Alpha left in her path
Alpha’s path of destruction, which explains America’s (and the world’s) lack of interest in its potential (and actual) impact
UPDATE: Images of the flooding sustained by my people in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI):
TCI residents rowing boats instead of walking through their neighbourhoods
TCI cars floating instead of riding on island roads
Note: Haiti is a “chronic humanitarian crisis” and it clearly has no infrastructure to collect and disperse humanitarian aid. Therefore, I recommended sending donations to help Haitians and others affected by Alpha through the International Committee of the Red Cross. (And, please specify Haitian, Dominican Republic or Turks and Caicos Islands emergency relief).
Endnote: Notwithstanding flooding in residential areas, resort areas of the Turks and Caicos Islands were unaffected by Alpha and remain open for business. And, no one is more thankful than the locals (rowing through flood waters to get to their homes) who depend on tourism for their livelihoods. So, book your TCI vacations and come on down!
UPDATE: As of 27 October, Alpha was reported to have killed 26 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
News and Politics
Anonymous says
Thanks for acknowledging the suffering of the Haitians. I have friends in Haiti who say that many of their streets look like scenes from New Orleans and these are people who make the poor in America seem like millionaires.