Haiti Prepares Mass
Evacuations as Hurricane Igor Advances
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – The government of
Haiti on Monday made plans to relocate thousands
of homeless Haitians still living in displaced
persons camps, as Hurricane Igor made its way
toward their earthquake-ravaged country.
Haiti's Civil Protection Agency late
Sunday declared an "orange alert,"
warning that several regions could be prone to
flooding as a result of heavy rains expected in
the next 48 hours as Igor drew nearer.
"Listen to announcements, follow
instructions and prepare to relocate if it is
necessary," said Nadia Lochard, a spokeswoman
for the agency.
Lochard explained that people living in camps
that faced the danger of flooding could be asked
to relocate.
The January 12 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed
about 250,000 people in Haiti made another 1.3
million homeless, thousands of whom remain
sheltered in temporary refugee camps.
Tent cities have sprung up in and around the
ruined capital of the poorest country in the
Americas, with little sign that those left
homeless and destitute will move into more
permanent housing in the near future.
International aid has been slow in coming, with
only a fraction of the funds promised for
rebuilding efforts actually disbursed.
Earlier in the hurricane season, the United Nations identified 130 tent cities as being at risk from rains and
winds that could further worsen conditions for the
most vulnerable, including thousands of orphaned
children.
