Sandy’s Caribbean death toll rises to 69

Hurricane Sandy’s toll in the Caribbean amounts to at least 69 dead, thousands homeless and few funds available to rebuild. 

Yet unlike the US, which enjoys extensive mass media coverage, the Caribbean carnage remains largely behind the scenes.

Sandy took the lives of 52 people in Haiti, 11 in Cuba, two in the Bahamas, two in the Dominican Republic, one in Jamaica and one in Puerto Rico.

In light of the difficulty to rebuild in some of the impoverished areas of the Caribbean, especially Haiti, the United Nations will be appealing for emergency aid.

"Haiti is trying to get its house in order, but each time disaster strikes, the progress is interrupted," head of the UN's office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs Johan Peleman told British newspaper The Guardian. 

"This country is exposed to devastating consequences by each storm. With every burst of rain, entire mountains are washed away."

Emergency services officials in Haiti said that 15 people went missing and 16 were injured in the storm.

Haitian authorities said they are waiting for the arrival of humanitarian aid from Venezuela.

The regions most affected were the south and west, where many communities remain cut off due to the destruction of roads and bridges, the authorities said.

Press sources also said that Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe flew over the damaged region in a helicopter to assess the situation and draw up a better report of the damages.