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| Hurricane Matthew: UN says 350,000 Haitians in need of assistance | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The destruction wrought by Hurricane Matthew has affected 350,000 Haitians and left the country facing its “largest humanitarian event” since the devastating earthquake six years ago, the UN has said. | |
| Ten thousand Haitians have been forced into shelters, while hospitals are under severe strain and water is in short supply, according to Mourad Wahba, the UN secretary general’s deputy special representative for Haiti. | Ten thousand Haitians have been forced into shelters, while hospitals are under severe strain and water is in short supply, according to Mourad Wahba, the UN secretary general’s deputy special representative for Haiti. |
| A situation report from the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), citing information from the Haitian government’s Directorate of Civil Protection, says that 350,000 men, women and children in Haiti are in need of assistance. | |
| Ocha said that flooding had been reported in 11 towns on Haiti’s southern coast, while the International Organisation for Migration issued alerts over the plight of the 55,000 internally displaced people who are still living in temporary shelters in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, following the 2010 quake. | |
| At least 11 deaths had been blamed on the powerful storm as it made its weeklong march across the Caribbean, most of them on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. | At least 11 deaths had been blamed on the powerful storm as it made its weeklong march across the Caribbean, most of them on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. |
| With a key bridge washed out, roads impassable and phone communications down, the rural south-west peninsula tip of Haiti is isolated. | |
| Hours after Matthew swept on to the remote area on Tuesday, bringing 145mph winds, government leaders said they had not been able to fully gauge its impact. | Hours after Matthew swept on to the remote area on Tuesday, bringing 145mph winds, government leaders said they had not been able to fully gauge its impact. |
| “What we know is that many, many houses have been damaged. Some lost rooftops and they’ll have to be replaced while others were totally destroyed,” said the country’s interior minister, François Anick Joseph. | “What we know is that many, many houses have been damaged. Some lost rooftops and they’ll have to be replaced while others were totally destroyed,” said the country’s interior minister, François Anick Joseph. |
| Both the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and its children’s agency, Unicef, have begun mobilising resources to help Haiti cope. WFP has arranged enough food supplies to feed 300,000 people for a month, while Unicef is preparing life-saving aid for 10,000 people in Haiti. | Both the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and its children’s agency, Unicef, have begun mobilising resources to help Haiti cope. WFP has arranged enough food supplies to feed 300,000 people for a month, while Unicef is preparing life-saving aid for 10,000 people in Haiti. |
| Marc Vincent, Unicef’s representative in Haiti, described the hurricane as “the worst storm Haiti has seen in decades”. He expressed concern about access to safe water and the high risk of water-borne diseases in children. | Marc Vincent, Unicef’s representative in Haiti, described the hurricane as “the worst storm Haiti has seen in decades”. He expressed concern about access to safe water and the high risk of water-borne diseases in children. |
| The storm ripped away a bridge in the flooded town of Petit Goave, preventing any road travel to the hard-hit south-west. Local radio reported water shoulder high in parts of the southern city of Les Cayes. | The storm ripped away a bridge in the flooded town of Petit Goave, preventing any road travel to the hard-hit south-west. Local radio reported water shoulder high in parts of the southern city of Les Cayes. |
| With access to the hardest-hit areas difficult, there are growing fears that the country’s cholera epidemic could spread still further. The disease, unwittingly introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers after the earthquake, has killed 9,000 people and there have been 27,000 suspected cases of cholera already this year, a third of them in children. | With access to the hardest-hit areas difficult, there are growing fears that the country’s cholera epidemic could spread still further. The disease, unwittingly introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers after the earthquake, has killed 9,000 people and there have been 27,000 suspected cases of cholera already this year, a third of them in children. |
| Prospery Raymond, country manager for the international charity Christian Aid, said people were concerned the hurricane could spread the disease in some communities, “which means we’ll have to intervene as soon as possible and provide the right tools and the right support”. | Prospery Raymond, country manager for the international charity Christian Aid, said people were concerned the hurricane could spread the disease in some communities, “which means we’ll have to intervene as soon as possible and provide the right tools and the right support”. |
| He said food and money would be needed to ensure people could eat, fix their houses and send their children to school. Raymond said the country would need help for the next 10 to 18 months if it was to recover and if those who had lost their livelihoods were to be supported. | He said food and money would be needed to ensure people could eat, fix their houses and send their children to school. Raymond said the country would need help for the next 10 to 18 months if it was to recover and if those who had lost their livelihoods were to be supported. |
| Muddy rivers and tributaries continued to rise as water flowed down hillsides and mountains, threatening further flash floods and mudslides even as Matthew tracked away from the country. | Muddy rivers and tributaries continued to rise as water flowed down hillsides and mountains, threatening further flash floods and mudslides even as Matthew tracked away from the country. |
| Milriste Nelson, a 65-year-old farmer in the town of Leogane, said neighbours fled when the wind tore away the corrugated metal roof on their home. His own small yard was strewn with the fruit he depends on for his livelihood. | Milriste Nelson, a 65-year-old farmer in the town of Leogane, said neighbours fled when the wind tore away the corrugated metal roof on their home. His own small yard was strewn with the fruit he depends on for his livelihood. |
| “All the banana trees, all the mangos, everything is gone,” Nelson said as he boiled breadfruit over a charcoal fire. “This country is going to fall deeper into misery.” | “All the banana trees, all the mangos, everything is gone,” Nelson said as he boiled breadfruit over a charcoal fire. “This country is going to fall deeper into misery.” |
| Haitian authorities had tried to evacuate people from the most vulnerable areas before the storm, but many were reluctant to leave their homes for fear of losing their belongings. Some sought shelter only after the worst was already upon them. | Haitian authorities had tried to evacuate people from the most vulnerable areas before the storm, but many were reluctant to leave their homes for fear of losing their belongings. Some sought shelter only after the worst was already upon them. |
| Before cellular communications went out in the south-western town of Jeremie, one resident described seeing panicked people who had not evacuated frantically seeking shelter. | Before cellular communications went out in the south-western town of Jeremie, one resident described seeing panicked people who had not evacuated frantically seeking shelter. |
| “Some people who lived by the sea are walking with their things through flooded streets looking for somewhere to go,” said Iralien St Louis, a photographer who was hunkered down at his home. | “Some people who lived by the sea are walking with their things through flooded streets looking for somewhere to go,” said Iralien St Louis, a photographer who was hunkered down at his home. |
| Rainfall totals were predicted to reach 15-25ins in Haiti, with up to 40ins in isolated places. | Rainfall totals were predicted to reach 15-25ins in Haiti, with up to 40ins in isolated places. |
| After making landfall on Tuesday night near Cuba’s sparsely populated eastern tip with no immediate reports of major damage, the centre of the slightly weakened but still powerful storm moved back over open waters. | After making landfall on Tuesday night near Cuba’s sparsely populated eastern tip with no immediate reports of major damage, the centre of the slightly weakened but still powerful storm moved back over open waters. |
| A hurricane hunter aircraft found Matthew’s eye was about 35 miles (60km) north-northwest of the tip of eastern Cuba before dawn Wednesday. | A hurricane hunter aircraft found Matthew’s eye was about 35 miles (60km) north-northwest of the tip of eastern Cuba before dawn Wednesday. |
| At 2am EDT local time, Matthew had top sustained winds of 125mph (205kph), and was heading north at 8mph (13kph) as it was starting to take aim at the Bahamas. Forecasters reported tropical storm conditions were already spreading over the south-eastern Bahamas early on Wednesday, with hurricane conditions expected there in coming hours. | At 2am EDT local time, Matthew had top sustained winds of 125mph (205kph), and was heading north at 8mph (13kph) as it was starting to take aim at the Bahamas. Forecasters reported tropical storm conditions were already spreading over the south-eastern Bahamas early on Wednesday, with hurricane conditions expected there in coming hours. |
| Perry Christie, the prime minister of the Bahamas, voiced concern about the potential impact on the sprawling archipelago off Florida’s east coast. “We’re worried because we do not control nature,” he said. | Perry Christie, the prime minister of the Bahamas, voiced concern about the potential impact on the sprawling archipelago off Florida’s east coast. “We’re worried because we do not control nature,” he said. |
| The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said winds had slightly decreased overnight as Matthew dropped from a category 4 to a still powerful category 3 storm. But forecasters warned such fluctuations in intensity were to be expected and that Matthew remained a potent and dangerous storm. | The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said winds had slightly decreased overnight as Matthew dropped from a category 4 to a still powerful category 3 storm. But forecasters warned such fluctuations in intensity were to be expected and that Matthew remained a potent and dangerous storm. |
| The US is bracing for the storm’s impact and a state of emergency has been declared in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. | The US is bracing for the storm’s impact and a state of emergency has been declared in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. |
| The South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, announced she would issue an evacuation order on Wednesday so that 1 million people would have time to leave coastal areas, and the Florida governor, Rick Scott, activated the state national guard on Tuesday afternoon. In a press conference, Scott said the state should “prepare for a direct hit”. | The South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, announced she would issue an evacuation order on Wednesday so that 1 million people would have time to leave coastal areas, and the Florida governor, Rick Scott, activated the state national guard on Tuesday afternoon. In a press conference, Scott said the state should “prepare for a direct hit”. |
| According to NHC forecasts, the storm could make landfall in Florida as soon as Thursday. The centre issued hurricane and tropical storm warnings for south-eastern Florida at 11pm ET and said Matthew was about 20 miles north-west of the eastern tip of Cuba with winds of 130mph. | According to NHC forecasts, the storm could make landfall in Florida as soon as Thursday. The centre issued hurricane and tropical storm warnings for south-eastern Florida at 11pm ET and said Matthew was about 20 miles north-west of the eastern tip of Cuba with winds of 130mph. |