Tropical Storm Noel has finally moved on from the Dominican Republic, leaving in it’s wake an insurmountable amount of loss of lives, damage, homeless people, and communication is virtually at a stand still. The Tropical Storm caught most people by surprise, as this years hurricane season had been relatively quiet, but from the weekend on, the Dominican Republic was hounded and ravaged by Tropical Storm Noel. The outer bounds of Tropical Storm Noel dumped heavy rains across the whole of Hispaniola during a 3 day storm that has cost the countries dearly in human life. Photo Gallery Inside Article.Tropical Storm Noel has now moved onto the Bahamas with Andros Island being the first predicted location where Noel’s rainfall and high winds will hit.
Over the course of 3 days, Tropical Storm Noel has turned the island of Hispaniola into a land of mudslides, flashfloods and tormented rivers, driving thousands of people from their homes and taking the lives of others. Rescue workers from the Dominican Republic and the United Nations have been trying to assist in the mud pile ups, flash flooding areas and also assisting as many as 36 whole communities and towns that have been cut off with torrential rain falls.
A reported 56 people are dead in the Dominican Republic and 24 in Haiti, with one person dead in Jamaica. Piedra Blanca in the Dominican Republic has been one of the worst hit areas where at least 7 people have died. One report is of a mother clutching her 2 twins and trying to keep hold of a third child as well, who was swept out of the clutch of her hands and along the rushing flooded river. The poor mum was struggling to climb a tree to take her children out of harms way. How incredibly sad and tragic for this small family.
President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic has declared the country a 30 day state of emergency and has now asked for international help, he is requesting for helicopters and more rescue teams to come in and assist.
According to Luis Antonio Luna, head of the Emergencies Commission for the Dominican Republic, 56 people have died, at least 58,300 Dominicans have left their homes and 14,500 homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.
There are still many isolated communities that rescue workers cannot reach due to bad weather continuing last night (Wednesday), lack of physical help, helicopters and damage to bridges and highways preventing aid reaching them. There are at least 27 people reported missing.
In Haiti flood waters have rushed through Port au Princes slum area of Cite Soleil, where a 3 yr old boy was carried away, mudslides have wrecked havoc in the hillsides of Petionville, sliding away homes and 3 other people are reported dead in Jacmel. There are differing stories to the amount of lives lost in Haiti as full facts have still not come out of the country. What we do know is that thousands of people in the Capital were left to literally wade through waist high waters, holding their kids, and small possessions as they fled from their make shift homes and shacks, now even these basic homes have gone.
Tropical Storm Noel is reportedly the deadliest storm to have hit the Dominican Republic and Haiti since Tropical Storm Jeanne in 2004, which terrorized Haiti and claimed over 3,000 lives.
For the Atlantic region Tropical Storm Noel is so far the second deadliest storm of the entire hurricane season.
Tropical Storm Noel is now expected to gather hurricane strength as it bears down on the Bahamas. It is then forecast to veer eastwards away from the United States after passing north east of the Bahamian Island chain.
Tropical Storm Noel Photo Gallery
 Children trying to get home in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic |  Lucas Diez west of Dom Rep's capital Santo Domingo 31/10/07 |
 Effects of Tropical Storm Noel in Dominican Republic |  Haitian family trying to cross river, pic from United Nations |
 DR's region of Lucas Diez, Santo Domingo, 9.4 million people no power |  Tropical Storm Noel in Haiti |
 Bani road collapse Dominican Republic |  Santo Domingo, Dom Rep, kids huddling together, pic 31/10/07 |
