On October 4th, Hurricane Matthew, a ferocious category 4 storm, barreled through Haiti’s southern departments of Grande’Anse, Nippes, Sud and Sud-Est.
The powerful storm caused widespread property and infrastructure damage with hurricane force winds exceeding 140+ miles per hour.
Many towns in the region have been decimated. Homes, schools, churches and local marketplaces are virtually lay in rubble.
Thousands of local residents are now homeless, hungry and stranded.
Among the hardest hit communes affected by Hurricane Matthew are:
- Dame-Marie, Grand’Anse
- Jeremie, Grand’Anse
- Les Cayes, Sud
- Port Salut, Sud
- Petit-Goâve, Quest
La Digue, a key national bridge connecting the country’s southern peninsula to the capital city of Port-au-Prince was also severely damaged.
Torrential rains and raging floodwaters rendered the bridge impassable.
Much of the agriculture in the region have also been ruined, leading many to fear that a potential food crisis is imminent.
Agriculture plays a critical role in these local economies and any disruptions in crop yields is likely to cause rapid inflation and major reductions in seasonal food supply.
Hurricane Matthew has already claimed the lives of several hundred people. Haiti’s civil protection agency has yet to release an official death toll figure.
Several deaths resulting from cholera have also begun to surface. Authorities are warning that the potential for yet another catastrophic cholera outbreak is very likely.
While the country is still technically in recovery from the deadly 2010 earthquake, this is yet another setback in the crucial economic growth that Haiti so desperately needs.
It’s still unclear how government officials plan to tackle this latest humanitarian crisis.