More than a chance of rain

As many of you may have heard by now there has been a tropical storm sitting over the Caribbean the last couple of days. I actually learned it was an official tropical storm from a friend whose boyfriend in the US emailed her the satellite images.

For me here in Port-au-Prince that translated into 48 hours of constant rain, no internet or phone access (which depend on satellites that are interupted by the clouds), laundry that wouldn't dry and a welcome reprive from the usually hot temperatures.

For others in Haiti and the Domincan Republic, the last 48 hours were much more serious. The poorest segments of the population tend to live in the areas most prone to flooding- so when so much rain comes so quickly, people can literally drown. For this reason, many people here fear rain.

On Tuesday, the clinic was completely empty as no one wanted to venture out in the downpour to make their appointments. A few more showed up on Wednesday when the rain was a bit lighter but now we have two days of holidays (All Souls and All Saints days) so Monday promises to be crazy.

As of Thursday morning, the rains have stopped but the sun has yet to shine again. I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to seeing the usual blue skies again soon.