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Residents wade through a flooded street after heavy rains in Gonaives, Haiti, 07 Sep 2008
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Officials in Haiti said Sunday that heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Ike has killed at least 47 people. Those deaths add to an estimated toll of 500 people killed during the past week by a series of storms.
Officials also said a key bridge collapsed, cutting off the central city of Gonaives from desperately needed aid supplies.
In the neighboring Dominican Republic, officials said a man was killed Sunday by a falling tree.
International aid efforts are under way to help thousands of Haitians who have been without food and clean water for days as a result of heavy flooding caused by the severe weather.
The European Union has announced it is giving the impoverished country $2.8 million to help the storm victims.
Haitian President René Preval has appealed for international help, saying the situation in his country is catastrophic. Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
VOA News
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