The death toll in four storms in three subsequent weeks till Sept 8, 2008 has risen to 500 in Haiti alone. Tropical storm Fay wreaked havoc in this country in mid August 2008. Hurricane Gustav, which struck on Sept 1 with a force lesser than predicted, wreaked havoc triggering floods and mudslides, uprooting trees and killing scores of people. On 2nd Sept, Tropical Strom Hanna devastated Gonaives, Haiti’s port city, also its second largest.
On 8th Sept, Hurricane Ike struck Haiti and Cuba with a wind speed of 195 km/h, alongwith giant waves and torrential rains. The northern coast of Cuba was the most affected region in Hurricane Ike.
According to US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ike falls under category three, with an average wind speed of 185 km/h.
Ike killed at least 47 people in Haiti, the most under developed country in the western hemisphere, and damaged 80% of homes on the main Turks and Caicos islands.
Announcing the first phase of emergency aid, the US embassy in Port-au-Prince freed $100,000, in addition to hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and water jugs for up to 5,000 families sent from Miami.
Apart from UN humanitarian mission headed by Joel Boutrioue, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have launched relief operations in the country.
The eye of Hurricane Ike was first located at Punta Lucrecia, about 823 km south-east of Havana, the capital of Cuba. There has been evacuation on a massive scale from the Cuban coast. Serious damages to man-made structures have also been reported.
Red Cross welcomes donations from world over. Your donations can be made over phone from anywhere in the world. Please call 0845 053 53 53. Visit http://www.redcross.org/ for more information.
Hurricane season in Americas runs from June to November every year.