Terra Daily via Agence France-Presse: The international Red Cross warned Tuesday that a rainy season peaking in mid-May would spark "minor disasters" in Haiti, where 1.3 million people remain homeless after January's deadly quake. "There is certain to be ... a long series of minor disasters caused by the rainy season throughout the quake zone in the improvised settlements which we'll have to do our utmost to mitigate," said Alex Wynter, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Haiti.Some 38,000 people could be potentially affected by the rainy season, as their shelter lies in zones that are prone to flooding and landslides, said the ICRC. "Within these, 9,000 people are in effect sitting on river beds and certain to be washed away if they are not moved," added Wynter.
The ICRC is planning to set up warehouses in six strategic points around the country in order to rapidly distribute relief items to the population if a disaster strikes. The relief agency also wants to create a command and communication hub ahead of the hurricane season which is expected to begin June….
Flood waters in Gonaïves, Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, photo by USAID
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