At least 51 dead from heavy rains in Haiti, which is also dealing with an earthquake

At least 51 people died, 18 are missing and another 140 were injured over the weekend in Haiti , when the fragile nation was hit with torrential rains that turned the country’s streets into raging brown rivers.

The latest update on the disastrous weekend came as the Office of Civil Protection was also responding Tuesday to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake in the southwest region of the country that left at least 4 dead and 32 others injured in the coastal town of of Jérémie in the Grand’Anse region. Haitian authorites said about 70 houses were also damaged and another two were destroyed.

Three of the deaths occurred when two houses in Jérémie collapsed during the quake, according to the Office of Civil Protection. The National Road #7 is also blocked at Morne Rampe, between Jérémie and the southwestern city of Les Cayes. The area was struck by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Aug. 14, 2021, just five weeks after the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moise.

Officials in Haiti’s disaster office said they are still assessing the damage from the quake and the devastation wrought by torrential rains that hit the country on Friday and Saturday, just days after the start of the June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season. The storms downed trees in rural southeastern communities, washed away crops in the Central Plateau region and flooded homes and vehicles in towns like hard-hit Léogâne, just south of the capital, where 24 people died.

The storm flooded out 31,591 houses, of which around 820 were destroyed, and left 39,458 families homeless, according to the Civil Protection office.

The storms were the result of the formation of a low-pressure system that remained stationary over the country. The heavy rainfall also has raised concerns about the ongoing cholera outbreak that resurfaced in Haiti as a result of violent gang clashes cutting off access to potable water in the capital’s slums. The deadly waterborne disease has since spread throughout the country.

Haiti’s Maritime and Navigation Service reported that its maritime signaling equipment was damaged or washed away by the floods in the southeast and western regions. The ports of Port-au-Prince, Marigot, Anse-à-Pitres and Belle-Anse have all been affected.

The agency also confirmed that three people died Saturday morning when a boat, the Metropolis, capsized as it traveled between ports. The number of survivors, initially believed to have have been 14, was actually 20, they agency reported.

While the assessments are ongoing, the country continues to prepare for more rain expected this week, authorities cautioned. There were several tropical waves moving over the Caribbean Sea. Storms were being forecast in the Center, North, Northeast, South, Grand’Anse and Artibonite regions of the country for late afternoon and into the evening.

Storms are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and evening, particularly in the regions of the North, Northeast, South, Southeast and Grand’Anse. As a result, Haiti’s disaster office is being warned that there is a risk of more flooding for the northern regions of the country for Wednesday evening.

On Monday, municipalities in the northeast — Ouanaminthe, Mont-Organisé and Ferrier — and central region — Belladère — recorded heavy rains, accompanied in some cases by wind and thunderstorms.

“About 48 hours after the country’s heavy rains, several rivers were still rising, while others continued to decline,” the Office of Civil Protection said Tuesday. “Several municipalities are still flooded.”

Of particular concern was the Grand’Anse region, where the quake struck shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday. At least four rivers in the department experienced significant flooding: the Grand‘Anse river in Jérémie, the Ladigo and Mouline rivers in Beaumont and the La Hatte river in Pestel. The three municipalities of Irois, Pestel and Beaumont recorded flooding in the last 72 hours.

River were also either flooded or overflowing in the neighboring Nippes region and areas such as Desruisseaux, in the city of Miragoâne, was also flooding.

The hardest hit region during the rains was the west, where the capital of Port-au-Prince is located.

“At least five municipalities in the department recorded significant flooding and damage,” Arcahaie, Carrefour, Ganthier including Fonds-Parisien, Gressier and Léogâne, the Office of Civil Protection said. “The spectacular floods and the overflows of the Grise and Rouyonne rivers strongly hit the neighboring communities.”