Three people died today in northern Haiti because of the effects of Hurricane Maria, category 3, relief officials said.
A 45-year-old man drowned when he was dragged by the waters of a river he tried to cross in the community of Limbe in the north of the Caribbean nation.
Hurricane Maria, category 3 and strengthened in the last hours, was approaching around 21.00 GMT on Thursday to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour.
Civil Protection director Jerry Chandler confirmed to Efe that two other people were killed in Cornillon, also in the north, but the exact causes of the deaths have yet to be determined.
The north of the country is in orange alert due to the expected effects of the phenomenon, which today caused floods and isolated communities in the Dominican Republic border.
The country already has rains in the north, northwest and northeast regions, according to civil protection. Although Maria is more than 200 kilometers from the northern part of the country, it will cause rains and winds.
The Government banned maritime activities in the regions under alert given the danger of strong waves.
Thousands of victims of Hurricane Irma have not yet recovered and there are people staying in temporary homes assisted by the Government and local and international non-governmental organizations.
The National Meteorological Center of Haiti warned that although Maria is far from mainland, the rains associated with the phenomenon could cause precipitations of between 100 and 200 millimeters.
