CNN 2012-08-29

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Tropical storm Isaac moved across the Caribbean over the weekend. One of the countries it hit there was Haiti. Martin Savidge examines the impact that the storm had on Haiti. 

 

 

 

A machete is Haiti’s answer to the problem, and almost everybody seems to have one. The trees that blocked the road have also pulled down telephone and power lines. We clear one obstacle only to find more lie ahead. Water is even greater danger, threatening to rise faster than it can run off. You can see the water is coming down through this cut, and what they want to make sure is that you don’t get any debris², the branches, the tree limbs, things like that, because if they were to clog³ in ay way, then you’ve got a real problem of flooding in the community. So this makes perfectly⁴ good sense. Then comes the flooding. Soon, it gets worse. This is what we feared, and this is exactly what’s happening. The water rushing down off of hills, finds its own channel, makes its own way. In this case, it just happens to be right through a neighborhood. Eventually, we’re on the road again, and make our way to Jacmel where ironically the power may be out, but the city’s traffic light is still functioning. We find out way to the town’s two evacuation chambers⁵. So we’re just going to have a look inside to see the conditions where people spent the night. You can see the conditions here are pretty miserable⁶ at best. There is no electricity. The only thing they can say they have is a shelter over their head. At least they’re semi-dry. What about food? 

 

He says no food. 

 

 

 

There is food at the next shelter. Two plastic buckets of peanut butter and jelly to feed close 1,000 people. Misery⁷ is about the only thing there’s plenty of. 

 

 

 

In the northwest Pacific Ocean, hurricanes are called typhoons, and the Japanese island of Okinawa is dealing⁸ with a massive one. In fact, officials say this is the strongest typhoon to hit Okinawa in more than 50 years. The island is used to typhoons. One storm chaser told CNN that all the houses there are built with concrete in order to protect against these storms. But typhoon Bolaven is more than $1,200 miles from end to end. That’s about 20 times bigger than the entire island of Okinawa. There are concerns that a typhoon will create huge waves that could wash out highways along the coast.

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