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Tropical Storm Strengthens, Threatens Haiti

   VOA News 02 November 2010
   Earthquake  survivors  gather  around a bonfire at a makeshift camp in
   Port-au-Prince,  Haiti, where Tropical Storm Tomas might be headed, 01
   Nov 2010

Photo: AP

   Earthquake  survivors  gather  around a bonfire at a makeshift camp in
   Port-au-Prince,  Haiti, where Tropical Storm Tomas might be headed, 01
   Nov 2010

   Forecasters  say  Tropical  Storm Tomas continues to strengthen in the
   Caribbean and could pose a threat to disaster-ravaged Haiti by the end
   of the week.
   In its latest report, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tomas is
   about    570    kilometers   south-southeast   of   Haiti's   capital,
   Port-au-Prince, with winds of 85 kilometers per hour. Â
   The storm was downgraded from a hurricane late Sunday, but forecasters
   say it could regain hurricane status by Wednesday.
   Current  projections  put the storm on a path to Haiti, where hundreds
   of  thousands  of  people  are  living  in  tent  camps  following  an
   earthquake  in  January. The country also is  struggling to contain a
   cholera outbreak that has killed more than 300 people.
   United  Nations  agencies  and other aid groups have ordered emergency
   supplies to be stockpiled across Haiti, especially in areas threatened
   by the storm.
   The U.S. Southern Command has ordered the amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima
   to Haiti to provide humanitarian assistance.
   The ship is carrying 1,600 military and civilian medical, engineering,
   aviation  and  logistical  support  personnel.   It  is  designed for
   ship-to-shore  and  shore-to-shore  support, making it well-suited for
   humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

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