Severe Storms Batter Multiple Haitian Departments; Orange Alert in Five Regions
Officials stress the system is intense thunderstorm activity, not a hurricane, as rains damage roads and riverbanks across the country.
Haiti's Minister of Public Works, engineer Joseph Almathe Pierre Louis, held a press conference alongside the Minister of Public Health, the Director of Civil Protection, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry for the Status of Women, and the coordinator of Haiti's Hydro-Meteorological Unit (UHM) to update the public on severe weather affecting the country, according to icihaiti.com. Authorities clarified that, according to the UHM, the event is not a hurricane but intense thunderstorm and rainfall activity that has caused significant damage in several departments. The Greater South, Grand'Anse and Northwest were described as facing notable difficulties. In the West, heavy rain carried sediment and debris in the Tijo and Tabarre areas, while near Delann the Rouyonne River diverted from its course. Near Les Cayes, riverbank sections collapsed at the Antoine Simon and Brefèt ravines, and in Tiburon the road is cut off in the Tapion area. A major landslide on National Road No. 7 at Katisch in Grand'Anse was cleared, while Three Rivers washed away part of National Road No. 5 near Rozye and Degason in the Northwest. For Monday, October 26, 2026, an orange alert is in effect for Grand'Anse, South, Nippes, South-East and West, with a yellow alert for Northwest and Artibonite. The public is urged to avoid crossing rising waterways.