Storm poses deadly flooding risk to Haiti

A tropical storm barreling toward Haiti threatens hundreds of thousands with deadly floodwaters and will likely worsen a cholera epidemic that has already killed more than 440 people, the UN said Thursday.

Tropical Storm Tomas is expected to hit Haiti today, unleashing torrential rains that will put 1.5 million people at risk, said Nigel Fisher, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, citing government estimates.

The storm comes as Haiti, a deforested and mountainous land vulnerable to flash floods and mudslides, is still struggling to recover from a January 12 earthquake that killed more than a quarter of a million people and left about 1.3 million quake survivors still living in fragile outdoor camps.

"The biggest fear is people being caught by high waters and the potential spread of cholera," Fisher said in an interview. "People should (not) be under the misapprehension that (the epidemic) is under control. The cholera epidemic is likely to spread."

Reuters