Hurricane Tomas downgraded to tropical storm

Hurricane Tomas, now downgraded to a tropical storm was moving away from the Turks and Caicos Islands after swamping coastal towns and killing at least seven people in Haiti.



The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that Tomas was 70 miles off Grand Turk Island with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour (mph).



It said that the center of the storm was moving away from the Turks and Caicos Islands into the open Atlantic.



Haiti’s President Rene Preval in response to the effect of the storm says relatively speaking, Haiti has escaped the danger.



He said Haitians have to continue to be vigilant, noting that they could end up surviving the storms, but dying of cholera.



A cholera outbreak in Haiti has killed 442 people and infected nearly 6,000 in the last three weeks.