OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Haiti: Tropical Storm Fay
18 August 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

On the 14th August at 10AM the Haiti Permanent Secretariat for the
Management of Risk and Disaster (SPGRD, French acronym) issued an orange
level two warning (risk of violent to high violence impact) and activated
the pre-alert phase two of the National Plan for Risk and Disaster
Management in nine of the ten departments of Haiti, namely the Northeast,
North, Northwest, Centre, Artibonite, South, Southeast, Grande-Anse and
Nippes.

On the 15th August at 9AM, as thunderstorm activity increased in
association with an area of low pressure located over Puerto Rico the
SPGRD increased the pre-alert phase (level one), which was extended to all
departments.

It was expected that heavy rains and gusty winds will occur over Haiti,
starting on the 15th and until the 17th of August, that causing
life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

August, 15 at 5PM the centre of Tropical Storm Fay was located at 18.5=BA N
and 69.4 W , about 55 Km E of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) or 324 Km
E/SE of Saint Marc (Artibonite department, Haiti).

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said on August, 16 at 11AM that the
storm was centred about 35 miles West-Northwest of Port-au-Prince and
about 130 miles (250 Km) Southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba. Fay is moving
toward the West near 15 mph (24 Km/hr), with maximum sustained winds of 45
mph (75 Km/hr).

Fay is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches
over Hispaniola.

All Haiti departments reported being affected by rains, so far not
registering inundations. The Departmental Emergency Operations Centres
have been activated and meetings of Departmental Committees for Risk and
Disaster Management are on-going.

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