Hurricane Matthew pounded the Bahamas on Thursday on its way to the United States, after leaving behind a humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
At least 340 people have been killed so far in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said, with the death toll expected to rise.
As the death toll rises and crucial infrastructure crumbles, thousands have been displaced.
Mourad Wahba, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Haiti, described Matthew as the "largest humanitarian event" since the earthquake.
ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) Haiti sourced and pre-positioned emergency supplies before Hurricane Matthew even made landfall, and are now on standby, with vital food and clean water resources ready, as the storm brings 145 mph wind and walls of rain to Haiti today. The local team will immediately be joined by ADRA emergency response team members who are being deployed from all ADRA offices around the world.
Haiti has taken the brunt of the storm so far, leaving many communications systems down and transport routes impassable. This means it could be days before the ADRA staff knows the full extent of the damage and before desperately needed aid can reach some communities.
In a nation like Haiti, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, a natural disaster of this magnitude is also a humanitarian disaster. The population is still recovering from the effects of the massive earthquake in 2010. Before Hurricane Matthew, tens of thousands were already living in tents, and many more in rudimentary housing, thousands have died from a long-lasting cholera outbreak, and livelihoods are often dependent on the local natural resources. Now, thousands are displaced with overcrowded shelters where disease outbreak is always a concern, as their only option, and natural resources will have been decimated. Early estimates already place the number of those who will require aid in the millions.
The best way for YOU to help is to make a monetary donation, which empowers those in disaster response to act immediately where the need is greatest in Haiti and other countries affected. Please donate right now at ADRA.org/emergency
ADRA is already in action with food and safe water resources ready to go, and emergency response team (ERT) members in the air, on their way to join local staff.
