Floods Hit Several Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Wide areas of Latin America and the Caribbean have been affected by extensive rainfall lately. Among the countries hardest hit were Chile, Haiti, Jamaica and Nicaragua. Jamaica and Haiti were affected by a tropical wave that caused major flooding and landslides in parts of both countries. Heavy rains hit Central America and Chile causing major floods in urban and rural areas.

Chile: The heaviest rainfall since 1920 struck Chile including the metropolitan area of Santiago. In the health sector the situation is under control. Some hospitals have observed minor damages (small leaks and floods) however all services continue to remain operational. As the front moved northward health sector infrastructure were damaged.

Nationally, the following figures are available:

Deaths	9
Persons affected	185.000
Persons in shelters	6536
Homes destroyed	272
Homes damaged	24850

Cold temperatures are expected to cause a rise in the number of acute respiratory infections and cause people to seek medical attention.

Jamaica: Rains had tapered off by 1 June, but nine deaths were reported and 20 houses were totally destroyed. Approximately 200 persons are in shelters.

There was some damage to the roofs of health facilities and falling trees destroyed the laboratory at the Spanish Town Hospital.

Haiti: Two departments were severely affected: le Sud and la Grande-Anse. Flooding affected 20 communities.

	Dept du Sud	Dept Grand-Anse
Deaths	15	16
Missing	14	0
Injuries	4	0
Homes destroyed	77	105
Homeless		124
No. of affected families	4375	2953

The water system in Petit Trou de Nippes was completely destroyed and emergency repairs are required to maintain clean safe water. One health center in the same locality was damaged. Access to some areas, such as Jeremie, is still difficult, as the roads are impassable. (more)

Nicaragua: The Pacific coast of Nicaragua, including the capital of Managua was the most affected area of the country. A significant number of persons sought refuge in temporary shelters in Managua:

Number of families affected	515
Number of persons affected	2007
Number of shelters	19
Persons in shelters	2000
Breakdown of shelter population by gender	M=42% F=58%
Breakdown by age group Under 5 years of age Between 5-14 Over 15	445 (23%) 569 (29%) 943 (48%)

(more)

In the last three countries the mayor needs are to restore safe drinking water, intensify vector control activities and provide emergency medical supplies.

	The Pan American Health Organization Promoting Health in the Americas