Haiti devastated by hurricanes

As of this writing, another, more powerful hurricane, the Category four Ike, and the still-forming Tropical Storm Josephine, are further threatening the Caribbean. Hurricane Ike hit Haitis central agricultural region on Sunday with so much rain, according to initial Associated Press reports, that officials said they had no choice but to open an overflowing dam in the Aribonite valley, inundating more homes and possibly causing lasting damage to Haitis rice bowl, a farming area whose revival is key to rescuing the starving country.

Ike is the fourth major storm to strike Haiti in less than a month, following six days after Hanna. Eight days before Hanna made landfall, Hurricane Gustav left scores deadat least 77 in Haitiin Hispaniola and left extensive flooding. A week before that, flooding and mudslides triggered by Tropical Storm Fay killed another 40 people in Haiti. Meteorologists warn that the soil is already so saturated that even if the subsequent storms track around Haiti, any further rainfall will have catastrophic consequences.

The storms have exacted an enormous toll because the countrythe poorest in the Western hemispherealready suffers immense social, political and humanitarian crises. Food and fuel inflation, particularly in the past year, has forced millions who live on less than $1 a day to the brink of starvation. Fully 80 percent of the population must survive on less than $2 a day; the vast majority depends upon agriculture for bare subsistence. Both physical and public health infrastructure are virtually nonexistent.

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