Haiti under alert as Tropical Storm Elsa approaches. The Dominican Republic also watching

There is never a good time for a storm in Haiti. But the approaching Tropical Storm Elsa could not have come at a worse time.

Already knee-deep in a political, economic, hunger and deadly gang crisis, Haiti’s emergency disaster response agency Thursday issued a yellow alert to the population, warning that rain and gusty winds are coming. The Office of Civil Protection asked Haitians to start securing important documents in plastic bags, prepare food kits and prepare to evacuate areas in danger of flooding and landslides.

Boaters and fishermen around the southern coastline and the island of La Gonave were asked to take precautions.

“The trajectory is South, Southeast, Grand Anse and Nippes” regional departments, the head of the Office of Civil Protection, Jerry Chandler, said. “But the message we are giving today is valid for all of the departments. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but we are asking everyone to take precautions because the vulnerability that exists in the country.”

Widespread deforestation in Haiti, along with the poor conditions of rivers and ravines, means that any heavy amount of rain can lead to mudslides and tragedy. There is now the added pressure of the surging COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing gang clashes at the southern entrance of Port-au-Prince, which leads to the four regions that could be heavily impacted by Elsa.

Ongoing gang battles that erupted on June 1 and remain ongoing have forced the displacement of more than 16,000 Haitians from the Martissant neighborhood and blocked motorists from crossing. On Thursday, the gang federation known as G-9 held a protest on the streets of the capital.

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As of June, an upsurge of gang clashes has resulted in the displacement of an estimated 14,000 civilians in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, the United Nations said. Sporadic inter-gang violence have also erupted in the Delmas 2 neighborhood of the capital and its surroundings, affecting Camp la Piste, a displacement site from the 2010 earthquake, which houses disabled people.

Chandler said officials have been considering alternative routes using boats and helicopter, which the government doesn’t currently own, to provide humanitarian aid if needed.

“If push comes to shove and we get to a severe situation, we will refer to the various institutions that are on board in our disaster management system,” he said, adding that this includes the Haiti National Police and ministry of interior. “The president’s office is in constant contact with us as we are all following the evolution of Elsa.”

While a yellow alert means the risk of impact is low to moderate, Chandler said if the storm’s current trajectory holds, the alert status will be raised Friday when the rain is expected to begin.

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Elsa’s center is expected to pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or southern Leeward Islands as a tropical storm during the day Friday, and then cross southern Haiti Saturday evening with 60 mph winds and heavy rains. By early Sunday Elsa is forecast to move near portions of eastern Cuba, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said.

Satellite wind data on Thursday as of 5 p.m. indicated that maximum sustained winds were about 45 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Elsa is looking very much like 2020’s Tropical Storm Laura, Chandler said. At least nine people died in Haiti and four in the neighboring Dominican Republic when Laura buried large swaths of the island under heavy rainfall and threatened Haiti’s only hydroelectric dam.

The National Hurricane Center is not projecting that Elsa will turn into a Category 1 hurricane, but Accuweather is projecting the storm to briefly strengthen right before it goes over Hispaniola and then weaken.

As of 5 p.m. a Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the eastern Caribbean. It means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for the southern and western coasts of Haiti from the southern border of the Dominican Republic to Môle-Saint-Nicolas in northwest Haiti. This also means that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

Along portions of southern Hispaniola, rainfall of 4 to 8 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches were possible on Saturday. This rain may lead to scattered flash flooding and mudslides.

The Dominican Republic, which initially issued a warning for eight provinces on Wednesday, had increased the number to 14 regions along with southern coastline late Thursday. The population in the provinces bordering Haiti were warned about possible flooding of rivers and streams as well as flash floods. The affected Dominican provinces affected are: Monseñor Nouel, San Pedro de Macorís, El Gran Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, Peravia, San José de Ocoa, Azua, Barahona, San Juan, Bahoruco, La Altagracia, Independencia, Perdernales and La Romana.

Miami Herald staff writer Alex Harris contributed to this report.