Haiti on hurricane alert

Haitians were told to prepare for evacuations as Tropical Storm Gustav was set to hit the country’s southern coast as a full hurricane tomorrow morning.

Gustav is then expected to move on to Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida.

Haiti upgraded storm warnings to hurricane warnings across much of the country as Gustav roared up from the south.

Sustained winds had already reached nearly 60 mph as Gustav moved northwest, the US-based National Hurricane Centre said.

Floods and landslides were possible across Haiti’s southern peninsula, and the forecasts suggested that the eye could pass very closely to Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, home to nearly three million people.

Residents were told to stay on alert for evacuations and to avoid crossing flooded rivers, the cause of nearly all 23 deaths on Hispaniola during last week’s Tropical Storm Fay.

The agricultural ministry, already dealing with a food crisis and fighting to raise national production, advised farmers to put livestock in safe locations. All maritime activities also were suspended until further notice.

Few people in Haiti’s capital seemed aware of the brewing storm as rumours grew of new protests against high food and education prices planned for this week.

Haitian radio reported that several protesters burned tyres today in Les Cayes, a town in the southwest.

“I didn’t know there was a tropical storm coming,” said Dunis Amilca, a 29-year-old resident of the Port-au-Prince slum of Cite Soleil. “I’m just going to stay in my house and watch out for it.”

Dominican authorities also issued storm warnings and advised small boats to remain in port, even on the north side of the island of 17 million people.