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Hurricane Tomas Strengthens, Haiti at Risk

   VOA News 31 October 2010
   This  image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Tomas, lower center,
   taken early Saturday morning 30 Oct 2010

Photo: AP

   This  image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Tomas, lower center,
   taken early Saturday morning 30 Oct 2010

   Hurricane  Tomas  is  gaining  strength  as  it  moves deeper into the
   Caribbean  Sunday,  after  tearing  off  roofs, downing powerlines and
   dropping up to 15 centimeters of rain across Barbados, St. Vincent and
   St. Lucia.

   No  deaths have been reported on those islands, but hundreds of people
   took  refuge  in  shelters  as  150  kilometer  per hour winds tore at
   buildings and rain-soaked hillsides slid across roads.

   Forecasters  at  the  U.S. National Hurricane Center say Tomas has the
   potential to strengthen into a major storm as it moves westward toward
   Jamaica,  Haiti  and  the  Dominican  Republic.  Winds  are now at 160
   kilometers per hour.

   Tomas  could  bring  heavy  rains  across  the  southern  parts of the
   Dominican  Republic  and  Haiti, which is struggling to recover from a
   devastating earthquake and cope with a recent cholera outbreak.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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