North and Central America and Caribbean

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Natural disasters

Hurricanes

The hurricane season in Haiti normally runs from June to November.  You should pay close attention to local and international weather reports and follow the advice of local authorities.  A series of hurricanes and tropical storms affected Haiti during the 2008 hurricane season, resulting in widespread flooding and substantial loss of life.  Recovery has been slow, with some communities being cut off by road for a considerable time.  Waterlogged ground was thought to be a contributing factor to the collapse of two schools, killing many children and adults, in Port-au-Prince in November 2008. 

If you are staying in Haiti when a hurricane occurs you should listen to information given on the television/radio stations and follow the advice of hosts or hotel management.  You should monitor local and international weather updates from the World Meteorological Organisation and the National Hurricane Centre. For more general information see Tropical Cyclones.

Emergency services are ill equipped to cope with a major disaster.  Should a hurricane strike Haiti, basic services - transport and communications -could be severely disrupted.

Earthquakes

The Caribbean plate runs off the north coast of Haiti and slight earth tremors occur occasionally.  There have been no major earthquakes in recent times.