‘I haven’t been to school for three days’: Port-de-Paix paralyzed by weeks of flooding

PORT-DE-PAIX — Torrential rains have battered Haiti’s Northwest department for over a month, leaving more than 2,000 homes submerged and residents grappling with widespread flooding, according to an incomplete toll from local authorities. The severe weather has paralyzed transportation, disrupted education, and devastated the already moribund local economies in Port-de-Paix and surrounding areas.

Local authorities from the Civil Protection Directorate have not reported any case of fatality so far. “We are still assessing the damage,” a spokesperson told The Haitian Times. “But the coastal city is in distress and begging for assistance from the central government.”

Residents in high-risk zones have fled their homes to seek refuge in safer locations, but many have been left behind, struggling to meet their basic needs without government assistance. In several areas, devastating floods have washed away farms, livestock, cars and people’s other vital properties.

As of Thursday evening, despite the heavy rains having temporarily stopped, many residents were pouring water out of their homes with any containers they could find, such as buckets and wash basins. Several streets were still filled with brown floodwater and mud, and trash was scattered on the roads that had started to dry up. Those brave enough to leave home hopped over, drove their vehicles or walked through floodwater, puddles, and mud to reach their destinations. 

“For more than three weeks, I have faced difficulties due to the bad weather,” said Rodly Pierre, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who sells food products in the city. “The dirt roads are soaked, and trucks carrying goods cannot arrive on time. I have lost up to 150,000 gourdes or about USD1000 during this period.”

Economic and Social disruptions 

“I haven’t been to school for three days,” said 13-year-old Linsky François, a 9th-grade student. “The streets are impassable, and the school director told us it’s too risky to attend classes. Some schools have even been flooded.”

Businesses have also suffered significant setbacks. Local markets remain inaccessible, and roadways leading to neighboring municipalities are still impassable.

“Water from the canals has invaded my house,” said Kentie Cicéron, a mother of two living in Déroulin, a residential area near downtown Port-de-Paix. “We haven’t slept for over four weeks now, and my children can’t go to school. I can’t sell my goods because the market is flooded.”

 “I haven’t been to school for three days. The streets are impassable, and the school director told us it’s too risky to attend classes. Some schools have even been flooded”

 Linsky François, a 9th-grade student 

Residents are begging for help. However, officials from the General Directorate of Civil Protection in Port-au-Prince claimed in the media that they were not informed of the situation in Port-de-Paix, highlighting gaps in communication between regional and central authorities.

“Our primary duty is to serve the Haitian population without hesitation,” said Emmanuel Pierre, the agency director. “However, we rely on reports from regional officials to deploy aid and disaster relief.”

Local government has struggled to address the crisis due to limited resources 

Vacneur Cédieu, the communication officer for Port-de-Paix’s municipality,  highlighted the urgent need for disaster preparedness and support to address the immediate humanitarian crisis and long-term recovery efforts residents face. “The damage is extensive, but we are doing what we can with what we have,” Cédieu said during an interview with The Haitian Times.

Meanwhile, Haiti’s weather service unit has warned of continued rainfall and the risk of additional flooding across the Northwest department’s 10 geographical communes in the upcoming days.

“These heavy rains result from a quasi-stationary front near a surface flood,” said meteorologist Chrisnette Saint-Georges. “With saturated soils, further flooding is likely, and we urge residents to move to safety and avoid crossing rivers.”

In Chansolme, seven miles south of Port-de-Paix, residents have called for urgent aid. “More than ten homes have been submerged,” said Leodaldo Jean-Fritz Calixte. “Families are now sheltering in the local Catholic church and need immediate help.”

As the rains persist, residents are left to navigate rising waters and deteriorating conditions, waiting for relief that many feel is overdue. Port-de-Paix’s Town Hall officials have pledged to clean submerged streets and assist displaced residents, but they face resource constraints. 

Meanwhile, as heavy rains flood communities across Haiti, calls for better disaster preparedness and proactive government intervention grow louder from multiple departments, notably the Northwest, North, Southeast and Grand-Anse, where fatalities, multiple casualties and property damages have been reported. 

Reports from  Haiti’s southwestern region said that 80% of cities like Jérémie and Dame-Marie in the Grande-Anse Department were flooded due to the torrential rains that have battered the country since last month. Multiple deaths and injuries have been particularly reported from Dame-Marie.

For many observers, the severity of the floods in the Northwest capital city and other urban areas this past month is yet another reminder of Haiti’s vulnerability to extreme weather and the urgent need for coordinated disaster management efforts to mitigate the impact on communities.

The post ‘I haven’t been to school for three days’: Port-de-Paix paralyzed by weeks of flooding appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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‘I haven’t been to school for three days’: Port-de-Paix paralyzed by weeks of flooding was first posted on December 13, 2024 at 11:02 am.