OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Caribbean: Tropical Storm Gustav
30 August 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This situation report is based on information received from, the UN
Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) in the affected countries, the Regional
Office in Panama and the National Hurricane Centre.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Tropical storm "Gustav" has become a category I hurricane on 29 August.

- More than 67 people were reported dead over the past days as "Gustav"
lashed the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. "Gustav" affected
thousands of people.

- There has been no request for international assistance and preparedness
and response coordination is on going well in the region. Many of the
affected communities are still recovering from the impact of 2007's
Hurricanes Dean and Noel as well as the recent tropical storm "Fay".

- Meanwhile, Tropical storm "Hanna" has formed and is passing well north
of the Virgin Islands.

SITUATION

1. On August 25th, a tropical depression in the Caribbean strengthened
into Tropical Storm "Gustav", and on August 26th rapidly strengthened into
category 1 Hurricane. Hurricane "Gustav" made landfall in Haiti at
approximately 1:00 pm at about 16km from the city of Jacmel. After
weakening to a tropical storm, "Gustav" shifted course slightly on 28
August morning.

2. On 29 August 2008, "Gustav" has become a hurricane again and is moving
toward the Northwest. At 2:00 p.m. the centre of tropical storm "Gustav"
was located about 200 km East-Southeast of Grand Cayman and about 685 km
East-Southeast of the western tip of Cuba. On this track, the center of
"Gustav" will pass near or over the Cayman Islands tonight, over the
western portions of Cuba on 30 August and into the southern Gulf of Mexico
on 30 August or 31 August. Data from an air force reconnaissance aircraft
indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph/120 km per hour with
higher gusts. "Gustav" is a category I hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
scale. Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days as it
crosses western Cuba and is expected to produce total rain accumulations
of 6 to 12 inches of rain over Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba.

3. Meanwhile, tropical storm "Hanna" has formed and is passing well north
of the Virgin Islands. On this track, the center of Hanna is forecast to
pass well of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Saturday 30
August and then northeast of the southeastern Bahamas on31 August. Rains
associated with Hanna could produce rainfall accumulations of 1 to 2
inches across portions of the Leeward Islands.

HAITI

4. Tropical storm "Gustav" has already passed over Haiti and the alert has
been lifted by the Haitian Government. "Gustav" claimed the lives of 59
persons, injured 25 with 7 people missing. Around 10,000 people were
affected but the number is likely to increase. Some 6,000 to 8,000 people
are in temporary shelters, however the number is diminishing. According to
PAHO/WHO, the estimated 8,000 persons currently located in temporary
shelters have no or insufficient access to drinking water. Due to lack of
access, needs have not been entirely evaluated. Some 307 houses were
destroyed. Some health centres were flooded and the hospital in Jacmel is
temporarily not

carrying out surgeries. Damage in Port-au-Prince does not seem to be as
extensive as in the past due to adequate preparedness.

5. The most affected departments are the South-East, South, Nippes, West,
Grand-Anse, Artibonite and Centre. Assessments are still on going however,
the lack of reliable information, due to poor access, is hampering the
evaluation of needs and the coordinated response. The main areas of
concern are rural or isolated communities. There has been no request for
international assistance.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

6. In the Dominican Republic, the storm left 8 people dead following a
mudslide that buried a home in Santo Domingo. Two persons were injured.
Authorities said that some 6,255 persons were evacuated and more than
1,251 homes were damaged with 12 destroyed. Already some people are
returning to their homes from the 8 activated shelters, with only 477
remaining in shelters. Pedernales has been totally evacuated as this
province was expected to be the most affected. Several communities in
these provinces, such as Bombita and Jaquimeyes in Barahona, and El
Rosario in Azua, have been totally flooded.

CUBA

7. On 26 August, the Civil Defense of Cuba ordered a preventive evacuation
for people and livestock at risk. A total of 72,503 individuals were
evacuated from the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguin, Las
Tunas and Guant=E1namo. On 29 August, the Cuban Civil Defense declared
"cyclone alert phase" for the provinces of Havana, City of Havana and
Matanzas. "Information phase" was declared for Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and
Sancti Spiritus. "Cyclone alert phase" was declared for the southern coast
of Ciego de Avila and Camaguey as well as for the southern coast of Las
Tunas. The Easternmost provinces of Cuba ?Guant=E1namo, Santiago de Cuba,
Granma and Holgui- have now returned to normality although Civil Defense
requested that the provincial authorities monitor the hydraulic situation,
guarantee the safe return of all evacuated persons, evaluate damages and
conduct recovery actions as needed. Farming and service activities have
returned to normal. All schools are preparing for the forthcoming school
year.

8. Simultaneously, the Western provinces are now under "alert or
information phases" and evacuations of risk areas are proceeding. Medical
teams have been activated, health centers prepared and schools and other
centres have protected vulnerable equipment. The IFRC PADRU (Pan-American
Disaster Response Unit) in Panama has two disaster management delegates on
stand-by for deployment to Cuba if needed. The United Nations system is
also closely monitoring the situation and the UNETT may be activated over
the week end.

JAMAICA

9. Some 26 communities have been reported affected, of which 17
communities are from Kingston and St. Andrew. There has been some
fatalities acknowledged but the number is not yet confirmed, however three
persons were injured and some 1,520 are in shelters. Some 76 shelters were
activated. Damage to infrastructure, severe flooding and landslides were
reported. According to reports from ODPEM, trees and light poles have been
downed and several homes have been destroyed. Several bridges have been
destroyed. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has been
operational and recovery teams have begun to rescue those trapped or
rendered homeless. Various hospitals were damaged. On 26 August, national
emergency operation centres and parish emergency operation centres were
activated. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) continues to
closely monitor the progress of "Gustav" while the UNETT has been
activated and met today to discuss the conduct of damage assessments. A
hurricane watch remains in effect in Jamaica.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

10. The Cayman Islands remain under a hurricane watch. The National
Emergency Systems are activated and the Cayman Brac Hospital was evacuated
to a community center.

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