Cap-Haïtien tries to bounce back after heavy rains flood downtown, disrupt city life | PHOTOS

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Wearing long rubber boots, a young man stepped cautiously through brown floodwater on Street 22A in downtown Cap-Haïtien on Tuesday. His friends from across the street shouted: “Atansyon, gon tou la,” Creole for “be careful, there’s a hole there.”

The young man chuckled and changed direction, walking even more carefully. When he finally made his way across the streets, he handed his phone and a charger to his friends to recharge it for him. 

Rain has been falling intermittently in Haiti’s second-largest city since Feb. 24, leaving several downtown streets flooded. Trash usually piled high along the roadways mixed with standing water, slowing traffic and pedestrian movement.

Many residents who rely on solar panels and inverters reported temporary power outages, cutting off communication and limiting access to entertainment and online services. Several businesses closed or operated at reduced capacity. Street vendors and small merchants said sales were slower, and some schools shut their doors for the day.

As of Wednesday morning, no deaths or injuries had been reported. Flooding remained limited to certain areas and was considered mild. According to forecasts, the rain is expected to end on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 25 and return on Feb. 28.

Below are images from downtown Cap-Haïtien following hours of rainfall.

The post Cap-Haïtien tries to bounce back after heavy rains flood downtown, disrupt city life | PHOTOS appeared first on The Haitian Times.