PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - Hurricane Tomas Lashed Haiti With fierce winds and rain Thursday, Leaving six people dead.But It Appeared To Have spared THE HUNDREDS Of Thousands of People Who rode out the storm in flimsy tent camps.
Continued Rains off and on for hours after the storm Moved On to Cuba, flooding and cut off Some Part of the country while Authorities Warned Of The Heightened risk of mudslides.
The southern town of Leogane WAS Completely under water, Said Philip Joseph, a civil defense official, WAS Three Who Said water meters (10 feet) deep in Part of the town.
"We Are Going To Have More Victims Because Of The floods and mudslides, We Can not yet reach to The Communities Affected MOST," Told he said.
In Port-au-Prince, Haitian Were Up to Their ankles in water In Some Of The huge Refugee Camp That Have Grown Up Around the city was sincere Devastating Earthquake That Killed 250.000 people in January.
But The canvas and tarpaulin shelters That Hundreds of Thousands of people call home Appeared To Have withstood the storm better than expected, thanks to pre-storm preparations, Including Drainage Ditches and hastily dug sandbag Barriers.
"So fortunately for Them We Can Say optometrist APPEAR To Have Made It Through," Andrea Koppel of the American Red Cross Told CNN.
However, six people Were Reported Killed in floods and house collapses Elsewhere in Haiti.
Two of the dead Were in Leogane, Two More Died In The towns of Beaumont and Leon Near the city of Jeremie, and a fifth Died in The Town of English, Haitian Media Reported.
A sixth person WAS Reported Killed Before The Storm hit Thursday as he Tried to cross a swollen river in rain-a vehicle in Grand Anse.
Many Small Towns in western Haiti Were Cut Off From The Outside World after flooding Neglected Already Damaged Roads in Rural Areas That Were Difficult to pass in good weather.
The Government Said It Had taken steps to Accommodate Many have 100.000 people have in schools, churches and Hospitals - a fraction Of The 1.3 million homeless left by January's earthquake.
The U.S. State Department quoted Haiti's Civil Protection Department of Estimating That did 50 percent of the People living in resettlement camps "did leave agreement of Their Own" to safer housing http://socialworkdegreesonline.net/mental-health-social-workers.html.
The center of one category Tomas Cuba's easternmost tip Passed on Friday, and a hurricane warning for Guantanamo WAS Downgraded to a tropical storm warning, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) Said at 2100 GMT.
WAS bearing the storm maximum Sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour.
Part of the Haiti and Neighboring Dominican Republic, however, "could see five to 10 inches (12.5 to 25 centimeters) of rain, The NHC Warned, with 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated spots and with rain That" could cause life-Threatening flash floods and mud slides over Mountainous terrain.
Tomas Further Threatened havoc in impoverished Haiti just as it battles cholera outbreak A Growing That has Killed 442 people.
"Dangerous landslides and heavy flooding could" The cholera epidemic "still worsen. Remain vigilant," urged President Rene Preval, Saying a massive aid distribution effort WAS Being Prepared oz "the situation on the road Will allowed."
Much of Haiti's population of just under 10 Million People Live in Precarious conditions, vulnerable to natural disasters. Mountainside Have Been stripped of trees to Be Used as fuel, Increasing The Risk of landslides in wet weather.
Tomas Killed 14 people in St. Lucia, Then weakened to a tropical depression Earlier this week Before It Gained a second life.
In the Dominican Republic, Which Share the island of Hispaniola With Haiti, 8.400 people Had To Be Evacuated from Their Homes Across the country due to flooding and mudslides Caused by Tomas.
The naval amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima WAS Prepared to Move Into the Country to Provide Assistance after Tomas Has Passed, With ITB fleet of 10 helicopters and Specialized emergency teams, mission head Said Captain Thomas Negus.
The U.S. State Department Said a 22-member Disaster Assistance Response Team Deployed to Haiti has-been, in addition to military personnel Providing relief Already In The Country Since The January earthquake.
Hurricane warnings posted for Were The Turks and Caicos, Which Were Staring at the potential of a direct hit Later Friday.
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