At least 42 dead, thousands homeless in Haiti after a weekend of heavy rains, flooding

A weekend of torrential rains and widespread flooding in Haiti have left at least 42 people dead, 11 missing and over 13,300 homeless, the government's disaster response agency said.

The Office of Civil Protection said the weather also left at least 7,475 families affected, and flooded at least 13,633 homes across several regional departments. The city of Léogâne, just south of Port-au-Prince, was most affected. The city also registered at least 11 deaths, Jerry Chandler, the head of the Office of Civil Protection, said Monday when the death toll still stood at about 30 and he cautioned the casualties were still preliminary.

By Monday afternoon, the numbers were updated to show that the damage is even more extensive than initially thought. At least 85 people have also been injured, authorities said.

"The biggest impact was the West" region, Chandler said, referring to the area that encompasses the capital.

Also affected in the capital were major health centers including GHESKIO because the Bois de chêne canal, located next door, hasn't been cleaned out for the last five years. The center's director, Dr. Jean William "Bill" Pape said many computers, although placed on elevated platforms, have been damaged by the rains.

Other regions in the environmentally vulnerable country that saw heavy damage were: the Northwest; the Nippes; and the Southeast, where a boat capsized Saturday morning that resulted in the death of two passengers. Fourteen others were rescued.

"In the Center department, the agricultural sector is very impacted," the agency said in a statement.

Also affected is a bridge that was submerged from overflowing river waters, and several roads have also been cut off by flooding and boulders. While the damage assessment is ongoing, Chandler said emergency response teams are mobilized and trying to support affected communities. Along with United Nations aid groups, Civil Protection volunteers are slowly deploying shelter, food and sanitary facilities, and drinking water to those affected.

The heavy rains, which began on Friday, occurred just days into the start of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

Chandler told the Miami Herald last week that while they had managed to increase training and improve communication coverage so they can get real-time information from their volunteers as disaster strikes, they have been unable to get supplies due to the ongoing gang violence.

On Monday, he said security remains a concern as they "timidly" try to respond to the disaster while also trying to maneuver through gang-controlled territories to get help to the population.

The World Food Program said while the full consequences of the excess rainfall is still not known, the U.N. agency will start providing hot meals to displaced people over the coming hours. WFP is also mobilizing ready-to-eat rations and dry food that can assist up to 15,000 people.

"WFP has the capacity to respond to this emergency, but a significant weather induced event of this level so early in the hurricane season, which generally runs from June to November each year, raises concerns about the ability to provide a sustained response should extreme weather incidents continue to occur," the agency said in a statement.