The crisis in Gonaives developed through an unlucky sequence of events, from a last-minute change in Tropical Storm Hanna's course to the onslaught of Hurricane Ike just as relief supplies started to get through.

Haitians unload food donated by the World Food Program after tropical storms left hundreds dead and thousands stranded in Gonaives September 9, 2008 photo released by the Untied Nations in Haiti. [Agencies]

Hanna was on track to sideswipe the Bahamas when it took a dip in course on August 31. Relief efforts in Haiti had been concentrated on the southern coast, where Hurricane Gustav had just hit.

"There was no, absolutely no forewarning that a few hours later we were going to start being swamped by Hurricane Hanna, which changed the landscape completely," said Julie Leonard, a regional adviser for the US Agency for International Development.

But Haiti's problems are not new. The country has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years. In April, deadly riots were sparked by the rising price of food in a country where half the population lives on less than US$1 a day. The food crisis also prompted an outpouring of aid to the country.

Getting that aid to the flood zones, however, has turned into a nightmare. Because Hanna lingered over Haiti, it took three days just for U.N. helicopters to be able to fly over Gonaives to get a full picture of the disaster. Trucks leaving Port-au-Prince with supplies still can't get far in any direction because of damaged bridges and roads.

Even as aid workers struggle to keep up with the crisis in Gonaives, no one knows how many people are suffering in communities cut off by Ike, along both the southern and northern coasts. A Kearsarge helicopter trying to get relief supplies to the northern coastal town of Port-de-Paix had to turn back Tuesday because the ground was too wet.

"There are reports of some communities that have received little or no aid for two weeks," Leonard said. "This is not acceptable to anyone, but unfortunately there are issues that we have not been able to address yet ... (namely) lack of access to these populations."

On Wednesday the United Nations appealed for nearly US$108 million more in disaster relief. Humanitarian chief John Holmes called the aid especially crucial since "the longer-term economic impact is also bound to be grave."