Hurricane Matthew in Haiti

Hurricane Matthew, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent years, is causing havoc as it tears through the Caribbean. It has claimed over 170 lives in Haiti and affected tens of thousands of people.

Matthew, a Category Four storm, made landfall near Les Anglais on Haiti's west coast on 4 October. It brought winds in excess of 230km/h (145 mph) and heavy rain which has caused flooding. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed, and some villages and towns were entirely destroyed. Thousands of people have been left homeless and while many survivors are being provided with tents and relief centres are being established, there are reports of hundreds of people seeking shelter in nearby caves while they wait for aid to arrive. It is estimated that more than a million people are affected.

Southern Haiti has also been left isolated after the La Digue Bridge - which connects the region to the capital city of Port-au-Prince - collapsed in the storm. The port of Les Cayes in the nation's southern region has reportedly suffered "catastrophic" damage and the entire town of 70,000 people has been inundated. With the primary access route severed, it is not known when the people affected in the southern region may receive aid from elsewhere in the country.

Famine poses an additional concern in the wake of the disaster. Many crops were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, and the interim president of Haiti has stated that the county could be facing a famine in the next few months unless the situation changes.

Cases of cholera have risen since the storm, with more than 200 reported since Matthew hit the island. Doctors fear that there may be an epidemic without adequate supplies of vaccines and clean water.

The disaster has been described as the worst that Haiti has suffered since the devastating earthquake in 2010, from which the island nation was still recovering.

Hurricane Matthew has affected 16 countries in the Caribbean. While Haiti has suffered the worst of the damage, it also impacted the neighbouring Dominican Republic and moved north to affect Cuba, the Bahamas and the United States.