October 31 2007 at 01:01AM
By Anthony Boadle
Havana - Tropical Storm Noel weakened as it moved across Cuba on
Tuesday, dumping torrential rain on already water-logged areas of the
Caribbean island after killing at least 18 people in flash-floods and
mudslides in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Double the average rainfall in October has already filled reservoirs in
eastern Cuba to the brim and authorities worried about flooding. There
were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.
"There's lots of rain but no really strong winds like a hurricane," said
Chantal Rivas, owner of a bed-and-breakfast inn in the port of Gibara,
750km east of Havana.
The storm knocked down trees on the coast of neighbouring Camaguey, a
beach resort hotel receptionist said, as it swept along Cuba's north
coast. Forecasters warned of storm surges.
Cuba evacuated about 10 000 people from inland areas threatened by
floods and mudslides or rivers that could burst their banks. Tourists at
coastal resorts were not affected.
Cuba's nickel mining, its major export industry located at Moa, was not
affected by the storm, which crossed Cuba farther inland than expected,
an industry source said. "It's sunny in Moa today," the source said.
In the nearby hills of Holguin province, more than 3 000 students
working in the coffee harvest were sent home for fear of flooding.
Thousands of cattle were herded to higher ground in Camaguey, Cuba's
main cattle-raising province.
Troops at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, in southeastern Cuba,
stacked sandbags around low-lying buildings but said they had no
evacuations or disruptions at the prison camp that holds 330 suspected
al-Qaeda operatives.
"For the most part we came out very unscathed," said Army Lieutenant
Colonel Ed Bush, a spokesperson for the detention operation. "We're
still getting rain but no significant flooding."
By 5pm, the centre of the storm was 45km south-southwest of Camaguey,
and its maximum sustained winds had dropped to 65km/h, the US National
Hurricane Centre said.
Computer models showed Noel would stay overland overnight and then head
north-west toward Florida. It was seen making a sharp turn to the
northeast at some point and swirling out over the Bahamas into the
Atlantic. Parts of the Bahamas were already getting 2cm of rain an hour.
The 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic storm season was not expected
to strengthen significantly. The longer it stayed over land the lower
its chances of gaining minimal hurricane strength on its closest
approach to southeast Florida.
On Monday, Noel dumped torrential rain on the Dominican Republic and the
treeless hillsides of Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola.
Several people were swept away in rivers swollen by the deluge, while
others were buried in mudslides or crushed as their homes collapsed.
Seven people died in Haiti, civil protection officials said. In the
Dominican Republic, 11 people were confirmed dead and 13 were missing
but there were unconfirmed reports the death toll had risen to 25.
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