Photo Courtesy of Joseph Odelyn/ AP
Tropical Storm Grace rendered the Haitian government helpless as it had to adjourn efforts to assist its citizens following the deadly earthquake over the weekend.
According to the Associated Press, Grace’s heavy rains pummeled the southwestern part of the island on late Monday. That section of Haiti also received most of the impact from the deadly quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale.
In some areas, the torrential rains left over a foot of water. Port-au-Prince was also left inundated with rain.
Thousands of Haitians are grappling with homelessness as the death toll continues to rise to over 1,400. The number of injured people has surpassed 6,000, with many not having medical help while enduring insufferable heat.
As devastating as the tremor was, Sarah Charles from USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs did not expect the death toll compared to 2010’s earthquake casualties.
“We do not anticipate that the death toll related to this earthquake will be anywhere near the 2010 earthquake, where more than 200,000 people were killed,” Charles told the Associated Press.
Although the number of fatalities is significantly lower, mounting concerns over COVID-19, the upheaval of the Haitian government, increasing poverty and gang violence compound the already grave conditions on the island.
Even the search efforts for Haitians are being thwarted by a lack of resources. The news outlet reported that volunteers only have sledgehammers and their hands with no access to excavation materials.
As Grace leaves the island heading to Jamaica and Cuba, the threat of flash floods caused by rain and wind is still very present.
Hopefully, the Haitian people can get aid including, shelter, drinking water and food. The impoverished nation seems to never fully recover before its citizens are knocked back down again.