Hurricane Tomas, which swept over Haiti this past weekend, isn't done with its destructive ways just yet; a cholera outbreak that began last month is expected to worsen in the days to come. The outbreak has already killed hundreds of victims and left thousands hospitalized within the last month. An astonishing 8,000 cases have already been confirmed. The biggest concern for disaster is the water flooding/flowing through towns causing latrines and septic tanks to overflow. This would in turn contaminate the fresh drinking water all while spreading the bacteria around at a devastating rate.
This is a great example of how devastating a secondary disaster/hazard caused by a primary disaster (in this case a hurricane) can be. The hurricane itself only killed 20 people and injured 36, but this secondary disaster (flooding/cholera outbreak) has killed 544 people as of today; proving to be much more of a disaster then the hurricane itself. Locals should evacuate the affected area, if at all possible, and only drink clean water from the surrounding non-affected areas. It would be smart to stay out of the flooded towns until the cholera-contaminated water recedes.
I like how you incorporated a primary and secondary event. It is amazing to see how much more damaging a secondary event can cause but yet receives less media attention in the world.
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