Gustav Caused Mudslides and 8 Deaths in Dominican Republic As It Heads to Gulf Coast

Thanks to its various mountains, Haiti was somewhat spared the devastation of Hurricane Gustav. That does not mean that the country was not wipped by the strong winds that fuel Gustav. In many parts of the country, residents are waking up to see the wide devastation. They are making plans to clean up. In various parts of the capital, mudslides were reported. Due to its history of deforestation, Haiti's mountains have not been able to keep the rain waters brought by the hurricane.

In the Southern part of the country, there are reports of various houses being destroyed. Their roofs were blown off. Haitians are scrambling to find safety. There are cases where residents were running from houses to houses to find shelter. With their roofs being blown off, there was little security that could be found. In Haiti, more than 14 people have been reported dead as of this evening.

So far, no death reports have been reported in Haiti. Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic, did not fare well. Gustav caused mudslides that killed and buried eight members of the same family. Most of DR is covered by lush cane fields. This is unheard of. Family members and authorities were digging to find some of the cadavers to properly bury them.

Losing strength, Gustav is heading toward the gulf coast, Cuba, Jamaica and New Orleans.