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Haitian officials say Hurricane Tomas is lashing parts of Haiti, triggering flooding and mudslides that have killed at least six people.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is moving through the waters between Haiti and Cuba, with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The storm is expected to pass near or over the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands early Saturday before weakening into a tropical storm.

Forecasters say the Haitian and Cuban coasts could see storm surges of up to one and one-half meters, with storm-surge flooding diminishing Saturday. They warn that Tomas could dump up to 25 centimeters of rain in some areas, triggering flash floods and mudslides. But aid officials also say the storm has not affected Haiti as badly as they feared.

The rains have caused flooding in many areas, including the camps in Haiti that have been housing hundreds of thousands of people displaced by January’s earthquake. ugg boots sale

The U.S. State Department says the Haitian government reports that 50 percent of the people in the camps left overnight before the worst of the storm hit.ugg5802

Officials had urged people in at-risk areas to seek emergency shelter, and aid groups worked all week to move the displaced to safety. But some residents in the sprawling tent camps in Port-au-Prince remained, fearing they will lose all their possessions if they left, or be barred from returning.

January’s massive earthquake displaced more than 1 million people.

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The United Nations has asked the international community for emergency aid, saying a half-million people could be affected by the storm. U.N. health officials also warned that polluted floodwaters and unsanitary conditions could worsen Haiti’s cholera outbreak, which already has killed more than 440 people.

The U.S. Navy has sent the USS Iwo Jima to Haiti to help provide humanitarian support. The ship carries medical experts, engineers and helicopters.