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Haiti Braces As Tomas Regains T.S. Strength

 

 

UPDATED 0600hrs 11/4/10

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In this morning’s NHC advisory, Tomas has grown a little stronger (albeit still a tropical storm), and their track forecast has shifted slightly to the west.

Overnight Hurricane warnings were posted for most of Haiti and the Southern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.

 

 

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This morning (11/3) it wasn’t at all clear whether rapidly weakening Tomas would regain its tropical characteristics, but over the past several hours the system has shown distinct signs of regeneration.

 

Tomas is a Tropical Storm once more, and is expected to approach hurricane strength over the next 24 hours. 

 

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Tent and tarp shelters, which many Haitian live under in the aftermath of last January’s massive earthquake, are likely to suffer serious damage even from tropical storm force winds.

 

Although unlikely to be stronger than a minimal hurricane, Tomas is predicted to be a slow moving major rain event, and in heavily deforested Haiti, that often means devastating floods and mudslides.

 

Aside from the dangers posed directly by the storm, there is great concern that flooding could exacerbate the ongoing cholera outbreak in that country.

 

 

Crof over at Crofsblog continues to provide some of the best coverage of the Haitian Cholera outbreak, and updates on preparations for Tomas, in Flublogia. 

 

Hi latest post Wilson issues post-Tomas disease warning is particularly sobering.

 

 

 

For more background information, the CDC maintains an extensive website on Cholera, excerpts from which appear below.

 

 

Cholera

Updates on the Haiti Cholera Outbreak.

Cholera has been very rare in industrialized nations for the last 100 years; however, the disease is still common today in other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Although cholera can be life-threatening, it is easily prevented and treated. In the United States, because of advanced water and sanitation systems, cholera is not a major threat; however, everyone, especially travelers, should be aware of how the disease is transmitted and what can be done to prevent it.

 

CDC responds to cholera outbreaks across the world using its Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH) expertise.

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