Stormy Weather

The only thing going for the Haitiians was the pleasant winter weather, but all good things must end:

Haitians were awakened Thursday by the first heavy rain since a massive earthquake four weeks ago, adding to the misery of hundreds of thousands of people living in flimsy homemade shelters.

The downpour a day ahead of the one-month anniversary of the quake served as a warning of the coming rainy season and the need to provide adequate shelter beforehand for an estimated 1.2 million sleeping in the streets.

Homeless Haitians have criticized tent distribution as having moved excruciatingly slow and protests have broken out to demand shelter.

The rain started before dawn in a city jammed with encampments of homeless people, many left with only the barest covering against the elements since the January 12 quake that killed 217,000.

At the huge camp in the Champ de Mars square in the city centre, where shelters have been built with any materials Haitians can get their hands on and conditions are fast becoming a health concern, people spoke of scrambling for cover.

"I tried to take cover in a corner, under a tarpaulin," said Demosthene Wisler, 23. "Everything's wet. The clothes are wet. There's no roof."