Deadly Tropical Storm Noel hammers Cuba

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31 Oct 2007

Tropical Storm Noel weakened Tuesday over most of Cuba after lashing the island's northern coast, but heavy rains continued to deluge the Dominican Republic and Haiti and portions of the Bahamas, forecasters said. art.flood.dr.afp.gi.jpg Residents from the Dominican village of Lucas Diaz salvage belongings from floodwaters Monday. Gen. Luis Luna Paulino, director of civil defense for the Dominican Republic, said 16 people have died and 16 are missing in his country, citing preliminary figures. Noel, the 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic season, began gathering strength Sunday in the Caribbean Sea.The center of Noel was expected to miss the U.S. coastline, but forecasters said a tropical storm watch could be issued for parts of southeastern Florida later Tuesday.The storm has been walloping Hispaniola, the island that the Dominican Republic and Haiti share. Video Watch flooded streets in the Dominican Republic ''At 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, the center of the storm was 40 miles (60 kilometers) east-southeast of Camaguey, Cuba, and about 270 miles (435 kilometers) south of Nassau in the northwestern Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center.Noel was moving west near 12 mph (19 kph), but a gradual turn toward the northwest was forecast during the next 24 hours. On this track, the center of Noel was expected to remain inland over Cuba Tuesday and Tuesday night, then emerge off the island's northern coast by Wednesday.Maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) with higher gusts, the hurricane center said in its latest advisory.Tropical storm-force winds -- at least 39 mph (63 kph) -- extended outward up to 175 miles (280 kilometers), mainly to the east from the center.Little change in strength was forecast during the next 24 hours.There have been conflicting reports on the number of deaths in the Dominican Republic.Provincial officials in San Cristobal told CNN that 25 people have died there, and dozens more are unaccounted for as flooding and mudslides plague the region. But the national Center for Emergency Operations counted 11 deaths in San Cristobal. Photo See the scenes of devastation »In the Bahamas, the government discontinued a hurricane watch for the northwest islands but kept a tropical storm warning in place. A warning also remained in effect for central Bahamas.Some airline flights between the United States and the Bahamas were canceled. Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines changed the itineraries of some cruises to avoid the worst of the storm.A tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin and Guantanamo, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected within 24 hours.Noel was expected to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain over the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with possible maximum amounts in isolated areas of 30 inches. Total accumulations of 5 to 10 inches, with possible maximum amounts of 15 inches, are possible over southeastern Cuba and the Bahamas.Juliana Pierossi, a spokeswoman for the aid agency World Vision International, said floods have forced hundreds from their homes in the Dominican Republic, drenched fields full of crops and cluttered the roads of the capital, Santo Domingo, with debris and stalled cars."World Vision has started to distribute food and water for people who are in shelters, but we're worried about long-term effects," she said.Hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said, "This is just one of those storms that tells you the [hurricane] season does not end until November 30. Anything can happen."advertisementIn 2004, heavy rains that accompanied Tropical Storm Jeanne triggered massive mudslides that left more than 3,000 dead and 200,000 homeless in northern Haiti. Watch scene on flooded street in Haiti