Haiti: 51 dead after floods, 4 more in earthquake Picasso painting raises 3.4 million euros in Cologne

Flooding in Haiti has killed at least 51 people. There were also 18 missing and 140 injured, according to a new report from the Haitian Civil Protection Authority on Tuesday. As a result of the heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday, 31,591 houses were flooded. Several parts of the country, especially the region around the capital Port-au-Prince, were hit by flooding and landslides.

Haiti, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change due to its location and topography. Deforestation, especially for coal production, also increases the risk of landslides. The country also experiences repeated strong earthquakes – in 2010, a magnitude 7.0 quake killed more than 200,000 people.

Tuesday morning (local time) there was another earthquake. According to local media reports, the strength was 5.5, the US geological agency USGS gave it 4.9. According to civil protection, at least two houses have collapsed in the southwestern town of Jérémie. Four people were killed and 36 injured.

Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent – thanks in part to lengthy reparations to former colonial power France. Lack of resources, political chaos and corruption complicate disaster relief, care for victims and reconstruction. According to the UN, almost half of the eleven million inhabitants suffer from acute hunger. In addition, there is currently dramatic gang violence and a cholera outbreak.

The hurricane season has just started in the region – it lasts from June to November. Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. The number of severe storms is not increasing due to climate change, but the probability is. (sda/dpa)