Storm Noel barrels towards Bahamas after killing 100
SANTO DOMINGO, Nov 1: The death toll from tropical storm Noel’s Caribbean rampage rose to 100 on Thursday, as floodwaters hampered the rescue of people trapped on rooftops in the Dominican Republic.
Even as the deadly storm barrelled over Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, its sequels still wrought havoc in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, four days after it slammed into the Caribbean nation.
The death toll in that country rose to 66 people, with 27 more reported missing, officials said on Thursday.
In Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, the death toll reached 34, officials said on Thursday. A further 14 people were listed as missing.
No deaths were reported in Cuba, which was hit on Wednesday, but there was significant damage to agricultural fields.
The islands of the northwestern Bahamas were placed under a hurricane watch amid concerns the storm could strengthen as it barrels over the Atlantic Ocean.
Residents boarded up their homes and stocked up on basic goods, as schools shut down and Bahamasair grounded its flights.
Forecasters warned Noel could dump as much as 38 centimetres of rain on Bahamian islands.
Even after the storm left the Caribbean basin for the Atlantic Ocean, the three countries slammed by Noel earlier in the week remained on high alert.
“Rains in Hispaniola and Cuba are expected to cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” said forecaster James Franklin of the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Noel’s rip through the Caribbean came at a time when dams were already full, rivers bloated and the soil saturated from weeks of rain.
Rescue officials said improved visibility made it possible for the first time on Thursday to deploy helicopters to the worst affected areas—AFP
