Haitian community of Gonaives struggles against cholera in
aftermath of Hurricane Tomas Gonaives, November 10th, 2010 –
After several 14-hour days battling a cholera epidemic in the
coastal town of Gonaives, the last thing Dr. Louissaint Dieula
needed was a hurricane. Dr. Dieula, Head of the Department of
Health in Artibonite region, the epicenter of cholera in Haiti,
had been working tirelessly to coordinate the response to the
cholera outbreak in the Artibonite region in Haiti’s north-
west. But her efforts were made even more complicated when
hurricane Tomas came roaring through this tiny island nation
last week. Gonaives, a town that sits below sea level in the
north of the region surrounded by mountains on one side and by
the ocean on the other, was hit especially hard. The hurricane’s
departure has left the region bathing in water and given Dr.
Dieula another reason to be concerned about cholera spreading
even further north. “In addition to us having to interrupt our
work responding to the epidemic, ano