Four deadly storms battered Haiti in quick succession in 2009 in one of the worst disasters in its history. More than 800 people were killed and nearly 1 million left homeless or in dire need of help.

The World Bank says the disaster caused almost $1 billion in damage in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where about half the population live on under $1 a day.

The storms struck in a period of just four weeks, causing fatal mudslides and widespread flooding. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged, and crops and livestock wiped out.

Tropical Storm Hanna unexpectedly smashed into the country in early September, killing hundreds, just days after Tropical Storm Gustav killed around 75. Days later, Hurricane Ike killed at least 65 people. Another storm, Fay, killed around 50 people in mid August. The disasters affected nine out of ten regions of Haiti.

Hanna's torrential rains submerged the port city of Gonaives under 2 metres (6.5 feet) of water, affecting at least 80 percent of the 300,000 estimated to live in the town. Food warehouses and hospitals were flooded in the city where many people only survived by scrambling onto rooftops. When the floodwaters receded they left behind deep piles of mud, human bodies and animal carcasses.

The aid operation was severely complicated by the fact that all roads and bridges into the town were destroyed or submerged meaning supplies had to be brought in by helicopter or boat.

Tens of thousands of people sought refuge in makeshift shelters where conditions were dire. In many cases there was nothing but the roof overhead - no food, no water, nothing to cook with, no sleeping mats, no latrines or toiletries, and no medical supplies.

People sustained foot injuries from wading through water without shoes. Others developed diarrhoea and skin diseases.

President Rene Preval called the situation "catastrophic", comparing it to the floods from Tropical Storm Jeanne in September 2004 that killed more than 3,000 people around Gonaives.

The port city, which also bore the brunt of Tropical Storm Hanna, faces the sea and is at points more than 1 metre below sea level. The storm flooded 95 percent of shops in the city, according to the town's police chief, and many residents lost their means of making a living with stocks of small businesses ruined or washed away.

The misery wreaked by the storms came at a difficult time for Haiti, coinciding with the installation of a new government to replace one dismissed in April 2008 amid violent protests over rising food prices.

Prospery Raymond, country representative for Christian Aid, said the whole of the Artibonite valley was flooded, which is where 80 percent of rice is grown.

The United Nations launched a $108 million flash appeal, later revised to $127.5 million. The initial response was poor and still appeared to be only half funded by the beginning of 2009. (See this AlertNet article Donors ignore Haiti storm appeal) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies appealed separately for $3.4 million.

Haiti is extremely vulnerable to flash floods and mudslides because most of its hillsides have been stripped bare. Cutting down trees to make charcoal to sell for fuel is a last resort for many rural Haitians who have no other income between harvests.

The country has known little but political upheaval and dictatorship since a slave revolt ended French rule more than 200 years ago. AlertNet has a crisis briefing on Haiti.

FLOODING IN WIDER REGION

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November in the Caribbean, posing a threat to coastal communities when tropical storms and hurricanes generate storm surges and trigger landslides and flash floods.

An average season has 10 tropical storms, of which six strengthen into hurricanes. Elsewhere in Latin America, torrential rains between December and May can swamp agricultural land, destroy livelihoods, damage homes and services and force mass evacuations.

In early 2008, devastating floods hit Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru as a weather abnormality known as La Nina brought some of the heaviest rains in a quarter-century, swelling rivers and bursting banks. Ecuador and Peru both declared states of emergency.

Meaning "little girl" in Spanish, La Nina is an unusual cooling of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures that can trigger more hurricanes and worse rains in many places.

In late 2008, serious flooding also affected Honduras and Colombia.

Death tolls from floods have generally fallen in recent years as countries become more adept at disaster prevention, although experts warn that more people are likely to be affected in future as global warming generates more and bigger floods.

British researchers say they have shown that a half-degree Celsius temperature rise in the Atlantic Ocean can fuel a 40 percent increase in hurricanes. Other factors increasing flood risks include deforestation and rapid urban growth.