World

Hurricane Matthew downgraded as US and Haiti assess damage

Storm estimated to have killed more than 900 people on rampage through Caribbean

A man assesses the damage to a house at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida after Hurricane Matthew passed through. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

Sun Oct 9 2016 - 20:30

Emergency crews in boats rescued hundreds of people from floodwaters and plucked others from rooftops by helicopter in North Carolina after former hurricane Matthew flooded much of the US southeast before weakening on Sunday and turning out to sea.

Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Sunday after its rampage through the Caribbean killed nearly 900 people in Haiti and at least 16 people in the United States.

Haiti also has suffered from outbreaks of cholera and about 61,500 displaced people were in shelters, officials said. In the US, more than two million homes and businesses had lost power.

A Haitian woman stands in front of the remains of her house where she and her husband became trapped during Hurricane Matthew. Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

The storm was moving east-northeast out to sea, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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Although Matthew lost its tropical characteristics, no longer feeding off warm ocean water, the storm still packed dangerous winds with a maximum speed of 120km/h (75mph), down from 130mph (210km/h) at full strength. Storm surges and flooding also remained a threat, the hurricane centre said.

State of emergency

US president Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Georgia and Florida, freeing up federal money to help the states repair damaged infrastructure and remove debris. North Carolina and South Carolina also could be in line for aid.

An international response to the blow delivered by Hurricane Matthew is finally getting under way in southwestern Haiti as authorities try to gauge the full extent of the death and destruction.

“It’s beginning to pick up now,” said Stéphane Rolland, a regional co-ordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross, as workers unloaded blankets, soap, bleach and other critical items in Jérémie.

Death toll

Many of the villages in the southwestern peninsula are difficult to reach and people are growing increasingly desperate after losing everything when the storm ripped through the area on Tuesday.

The precise death toll from the storm remained uncertain. Guillaume Silvera, a senior official with the Civil Protection Agency on the tip of the southern peninsula and includes the city of Jérémie, said 522 deaths had been confirmed.

Government officials estimate that at least 350,000 people need assistance, and concern was growing over an increase in cholera cases following widespread flooding unleashed by Matthew. – (Reuters/PA)

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