At least 12 killed as floods cut off communities in northwestern Haiti
Heavy rainfall caused floods, river overflows, and landslides across northwestern Haiti from April 11 to 13, 2026, killing at least 12 people and flooding hundreds of homes. The hardest-hit municipalities were Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Port-de-Paix, and Anse-à-Foleur, where damaged roads and bridges left several communities cut off.
Satellite image acquired at 14:30 UTC on April 11, 2026. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers
Heavy rainfall across northwestern Haiti from April 11 to 13 caused floods, river overflows, and landslides, killing at least 12 people and flooding hundreds of homes. The hardest-hit municipalities were Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Port-de-Paix, and Anse-à-Foleur, where damaged roads and bridges left several communities cut off.
The deadliest impacts were reported in Saint-Louis-du-Nord, where residents were swept away by floodwaters or killed in landslides after intense rainfall saturated slopes and river catchments. Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency reported that the fatalities were concentrated in several rural sections of the commune, while additional people were reported missing in coastal and riverside communities.
Floodwaters inundated hundreds of homes across the affected municipalities, with housing totals varying between more than 900 and around 1 200 flooded homes. Around 2 500 residents were reported affected in the northwest.
Haitian outlets reported severe damage along the road linking Port-de-Paix and Saint-Louis-du-Nord, while the Ti Rivyè bridge was reported destroyed, resulting in limited access to some communities and complicating the delivery of food and basic supplies.
Northwestern Haiti is especially vulnerable to flooding because of degraded watersheds, slope instability, and infrastructure that is highly exposed to flash flooding and erosion.
Haiti’s Unité Hydrométéorologique said on April 15 that a partially humid air mass and weak low-pressure conditions could still produce isolated to moderate showers and thunderstorms through April 17.
The agency did not indicate a new widespread severe rainfall threat for the northwest, but said locally heavier rain remained possible in parts of the south, west, and center of the country. Conditions in already affected areas remain sensitive because saturated ground and damaged access routes can worsen the impact of even modest additional rainfall.
References:
1 Haiti – Severe weather and floods – DG ECHO – April 16, 2026
2 Heavy rains in northwestern Haiti kill 12 people and damage hundreds of homes – AP – April 14, 2026
3 FLASH : Nord-Ouest d’Haïti, inondations dévastatrices au moins 12 morts – Haiti Libre – April 15, 2026
4 Bulletin météo pm du mercredi 15 avril 2026 (Valable jusqu’au 17 avril 2026) – Meteo Haiti – April 16, 2026
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