Haiti is facing the threat of a tropical storm bringing heavy rains and strong winds just days after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the country on Saturday, killing more than 700 people.
There are fears that Tropical Storm Grace, which is projected to hit the island between Monday and Tuesday, could hamper rescue efforts.
Officials registered at least 724 fatalities and more than 2,800 people injured on Sunday afternoon from the quake, as they assessed the extensive damage to homes and buildings.
The quake comes over a decade after a disastrous 7.0-magnitude shock in 2010 that struck closer to the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince, killing an estimated 220,000 people.
Ariel Henry, the country’s prime minister, said on Saturday that local hospitals, particularly in the city of Les Cayes, were “overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people”.
President Joe Biden announced on Saturday that his administration would authorize “an immediate US response” and named USAID director Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the UN, to lead the effort. Other nations have offered aid as well, including Mexico whose president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said on Sunday that federal assistance was on the way.
