After leaving the Southern Windwards, hurricane Flora moved on a fairly smooth and regular track toward the southwestern Haitian peninsula gradually acquiring a more northward component. The vortex entered the Haitian south coast at Côtes-de-Fer and calms were noted at Fonds-des-Nègres and Anse-à-Veau. Winds of 102 m.p.h were noted at Côtes-de-Fer
at 7 p.m.EST October 3 and 120 m.p.h at the Army base near Durez. The total Rainfall at Miragoâne during the period when western Haiti was under the influence of Flora probably exceeded 75 in. On October 6-8 when Miragoâne was under the principal rain band feeding into Flora, the rain gage at the Reynolds Haitian Mines, Inc. which holds 19 in., was observed overflowing three times and was emptied. Thus at least 57 inches fell during this 3-day period. This does not include rainfall during the passage of the center nearby on October 3 and 4 or some rain which fell on 5th.
Destruction over the mountainous terrain of the Haitian peninsula ranged from severe to complete. Flash floods washed away sections of many towns and landslides buried others. The height of the storm surge on the south shore in unknown but could easily have been12 ft. or more. Crops were totally destroyed. About 3,500 bodies were counted and several thousand persons were missing. It is estimated that the total death toll was 5000. Property and crop damage is estimated at $ 125 million with some reliable figured as high as 180 million USD.
A report from the Gleaner Newspaper describes the scene at the time of the Hurricane:
The dead have just vanished in many cases-sucked out to sea, or their bodies trapped in remote mountain streams which swelled to the size of torrential rivers during the worst of the hurricane. The living have no food, water, clothes, medicine, fire or shelter.
Source: https://goo.gl/cwMND8, https://goo.gl/nG68Mi