Tropical Storm Noel - Prayers needed

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya, all,

 

I'll add this to the week's prayer list, but in the meantime, if

anyone has a spare moment to pray for those affected by Tropical Storm

Noel, it would be good.

 

From the BBC:

 

More than 80 people have died in floods and mudslides sparked by

tropical storm Noel in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, officials say.

 

The Dominican authorities say dozens of people are missing and more

than 25,000 have been left homeless.

 

Forecasters have warned of hurricane strength winds in the Bahamas as

the storm heads towards the archipelago.

 

And the US National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm

warning for Florida's south-east coast.

 

Meanwhile with rain still falling on Hispaniola - the island shared by

the Dominican Republic and Haiti - rescuers have been struggling to

reach communities cut off by the flooding.

 

At least 56 people have died in the Dominican Republic, 24 have died

in neighbouring Haiti and one has been killed in Jamaica.

 

At 0500 local time (0900 GMT) Noel was about 185km (115 miles)

south-west of Nassau, in the Bahamas, and about 290km (180 miles)

south-east of Miami, the US National Hurricane Center said.

 

Forecasters predict the storm will curve north-east over the Bahamas

on Thursday, and the government has issued a hurricane watch for the

north-west islands.

 

Packing sustained winds of up to 100km/h (60 mph) the storm is

expected to cause rough seas and coastal flooding as it passes the

Florida coast, forecasters said.

 

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez has declared a state of emergency

for the next 30 days and asked for international help, especially

rescue teams and helicopters.

 

He ordered residents in 36 communities to evacuate because they were

in potential flood zones.

 

The village of Piedra Blanca was swept away when a swollen river

overflowed its banks, killing at least seven people.

 

" A lot of people had to choose between losing one child and losing

another, " Liony Batista, from Christian group Food for the Poor, said.

 

Bienvenido Castillo, who was rescued by boat, lost his whole family in

the storm.

 

" I've been here for 20 years and this has just finished me off. It

took 60 chickens, 26 pigs - and my family, " he said.

 

In Haiti floodwaters rushed through houses in the shanty town of Cite

Soleil in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where UN soldiers set up

makeshift shelters for storm refugees.

 

Some shelters were overwhelmed by evacuees and a local doctor, Virgil

Boyer, said he was struggling to provide a blanket for each person.

 

" The biggest problem we have is that these people don't have anything

to sleep on, " he told the Associated Press news agency.

 

Haiti is especially vulnerable to flash floods and mudslides because

most of its trees have been felled to make charcoal.

 

The storm sent floodwaters pouring down streets and hillsides and

trees crashing down on houses.

 

Several bridges have collapsed and mudslides have blocked roads.