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Hurricane Irene causes flooding, landslides

Published:Thursday | August 25, 2011 | 12:00 AM
People walk in the rain during the passing of Hurricane Irene on a road from Gonaives to Cap Haitian, Haiti, on Tuesday. Irene was still lashing the northern coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where crews have begun cleaning up debris and the government warned of flooding.- AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE (CMC):

The United Nations humanitarian office in Haiti says more than 160 evacuation sites have been opened across the French-speaking Caribbean country as Haitians deal with the damage caused by Hurricane Irene on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the hurricane, which is now a Category Two storm moving towards The Bahamas, unleashed heavy rains across northern Haiti, causing some flooding and agricultural damage.

OCHA, citing local officials, said there have been no reports of major losses or damage.

It said that while 160 evacuation sites have been opened, only one evacuation site has been occupied so far by 500 people, and some roads have been cut by landslides.

The UN said its 12,000 peacekeepers are on emergency standby in case they should be needed for rescue operations.