6 Nov 2010

Fatal flood could worsen Haiti cholera epidemic

5:12 pm on 6 November 2010

At least six people have died after Hurricane Tomas battered parts of Haiti.

Most of the damage was done in the country's rural western tip causing flooding in some of the temporary camps set up after January's earthquake.

The BBC reports that the eye of the storm clipped the island with winds of 140km/h. Up to 25cm of rain was forecast.

There is a danger of mudslides and further flooding, which could worsen the current cholera epidemic affecting parts of the country.

But the storm appeared to have spared the hundreds of thousands of people who rode it out in flimsy tent camps.

The government had urged those living in tents to find better shelter, but many said they had nowhere to go.

More than 1.3 million people are still living in makeshift canvas homes more than a year after Haiti's devastating earthquake.

Hurricane Tomas last week killed 14 people in Saint Lucia, then weakened to a tropical depression before gaining force again.