Storm in North America: Eight fatalities from tropical storm "Laura"

Icon: enlarge

Danger from tropical storm "Laura": Street vendors in a flooded street in Haiti

The tropical storm "Laura" killed at least eight people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. According to the civil protection in Haiti, a ten-year-old died when a tree fell on a house. Other buildings were under water, people had to be brought to safety.

Meanwhile, tropical storm "Marco" was upgraded to a hurricane that was advancing towards the US Gulf Coast and could reach the state of Louisiana on Monday. "Laura" could also head for the same US coast as a hurricane from Tuesday.

The US hurricane center spoke of "torrential rains and life-threatening floods" in Haiti. Disaster alarms had been in effect there since Friday, and the authorities warned of landslides and violent gusts of wind.

Dominican Republic partially without electricity

According to official information, at least five people were killed: In addition to the ten-year-old girl, a woman who was torn away in southeast Haiti when she tried to cross a river. In the capital Port-au-Prince, a woman and two men were also killed in the storm.

In the Dominican Republic, a woman and her child were killed at home in Santo Domingo, and a young man died there when a tree fell on his house, the rescue center announced.

There were also floods in the Dominican Republic, and according to the energy companies, over a million people had no electricity.

Twelfth tropical storm of the season

During the storm season in the Atlantic between June and November, tropical storms pass each year over the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located. They are hard on the population, who are already largely living in poverty. "Laura" is the twelfth tropical storm of the season.

The tropical storm "Marco" has meanwhile grown into a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, according to calculations by the US hurricane center NHC. He was due to land in Louisiana on Monday. "Marco" brings wind speeds of 120 kilometers per hour with it. However, the experts expect the hurricane to weaken again quickly over land.

"Laura" should also reach hurricane strength from Tuesday and could hit the same US coastal region on Wednesday. According to US media, there have never been two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time since the weather began 150 years ago.

pgo / dpa