Natural catastrophes

18.5, storms

Haiti: 21 people died, 11 were injured and 5 were missing after 2 days of torrential rains that swept away victims in rising waters and caused flimsy homes to collapse. 42 houses were destroyed, 267 homes were damaged and 1,014 families were affected, the government’s Civil Defence agency said. 4 districts in Haiti were affected, including the populous western district that includes capital Port-au-Prince. 7 died in suburban Pétionville when walls collapsed and cinderblock foundations of the 1-room houses slid into nearby ravines. Others drowned when streams overflowed in provincial areas, ranging from Léogâne, 19 miles west of the capital, to Limbé, 75 miles north. Dozens were forced to abandon their shacks in several seaside shantytowns, built at sea level and crossed by clogged drainage canals.