Bernama.comPORT AU PRINCE, March 16 (BERNAMA-NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The first rains of the rainy season have hit Haiti where about 500,000 victims of the quake of Jan 2010 are still living in fragile canvas tents.

Several neighborhoods were flooded and some houses were damaged, as a number of canals overflowed, according to a report of the Civil Protection Department.

A storm yesterday triggered concern among the refugees, who had to fill in the holes in their tents with blankets and cardboard.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, at least 491,000 people, or about 120,791 families are sheltered in over 660 camps located in quake-hit areas, in subhuman conditions and need urgent assistance, especially now that the rainy season is here.

Over US$231 million is needed in humanitarian assistance to cater for the basic needs of these people, the UN said.

— BERNAMA-NNN-PRENSA LATINA