After Hurricane Matthew passed, the death toll in Haiti could reach 1,000. Furthermore, the cholera outbreak has made things worse for the Carribean nation.
Haiti had been the worst-hit by the Category 4 Hurricane Matthew, as it made its landfall over the country Tuesday last week. The death toll in the country is feared to reach 1,000, according to a report from Reuters. The hurricane delivered strong winds at the speed of 145 mph (233km/h), which was able to uproot trees as it inflicted very serious damage to well-built houses.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, millions of people lost their homes and left in need of humanitarian assistance. Moreover, in impacted areas, the cholera outbreak that occurred before the storm has worsened and killed 13 people, as reported by CNN.
"A lot of effort has been made to avoid the spread of this epidemic, but the hurricane has accelerated it," Haiti Interim President Jocelerme Privert said.
Haiti had fought hard to combat the cholera outbreak, and tried hard to contain the disease which has killed 370 before Hurricane Matthew arrived. But after the storm passed, the outbreak accelerated. It's because cholera is spread through water or food contamination, while fresh water is rarely found after the storm, hence aggravating the outbreak.
Hurricane Matthew is the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean in decades. It started from a tropical wave in the African offshore since the middle of September, which accumulated rapidly as it headed west. It rapidly developed into a very strong tropical storm until it reached Category 4, hitting Haiti on Tuesday last week.
The storm then headed to Florida and hit the coastline, blowing strong winds of 120 mph and a storm surge. Hurricane Matthew also damaged the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as it brushed off Cape Canaveral.
Watch CNN's report on the aftermath of the Hurricane Matthew that devastated Haiti below:
