Haiti faces a crisis that requires a “massive response” from the international community, the United Nations has said, with at least 1.4 million people needing emergency aid after Hurricane Matthew.
The storm killed almost 1,000 people in the impoverished Caribbean nation, with that toll likely to rise as rescue workers reach previously inaccessible areas.
Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, last week levelled homes, fouled water sources and killed livestock, leaving victims pleading for help to arrive quickly.
“Some towns and villages have been almost wiped off the map,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters.
The UN has launched a $120m flash appeal to cover Haiti’s needs for the next three months.
After pummelling Haiti on October 4 as a monster Category 4 storm, packing winds of 230km an hour, Matthew slammed into the southeastern United States, where it killed at least 20 people.
Hundreds of people were rescued by boat and helicopter as floodwaters inundated towns in the state of North Carolina on Monday, and officials warned that life-threatening flooding from swollen rivers would continue for days.
[aljazeera]
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