Cholera has killed at least 13 people in southwest Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, officials said on Saturday, as government teams fanned out across the hard-hit southwestern tip of the country to repair treatment centers and reach the epicenter of one outbreak.

The storm took the lives of nearly 900 people in Haiti, many in remote towns clustered near the headland, according to a Reuters tally of numbers given by local officials.

Haiti&#39;s central civil protection agency raised to 336 its official death toll, a slower count because officials must visit each village to confirm the numbers.

The government said there would be three days of national mourning.

Six people died of cholera in a hospital in the town of Randel, which is inland on the peninsula, and another seven died in the coastal town of Anse-d&#39;Ainault on the western tip, the officials said, likely as flood waters mixed with sewage.

Cholera causes severe diarrhea and can kill within hours if untreated. It is spread through contaminated water and has a short incubation period, which leads to rapid outbreaks.

&quot;Randel is isolated, you must cross water, you must go high in the mountains, cars cannot go, motorcycles cannot go,&rdquo; said Eli Pierre Celestin, a member of team that fights cholera for the health ministry. &quot;People have started dying.&quot;

&quot;There are nurses but no doctors,&quot; he said, concerned that cholera would spread due to lack of hygiene and as ground water moved because of rain and floods.

He said there were also outbreaks in Port-a-Piment and Les Anglais, towns at the end of the Tiburon peninsula hardest hit by Matthew this week. Dr. Donald Francois, head of the Haitian health ministry&acute;s cholera program, said 62 others were sick with cholera as a result of the storm. He said he was traveling to the south to oversee the response.

Matthew slammed into South Carolina on Saturday, after skirting the Atlantic coast of Florida and Georgia, causing widespread power outages and flooding.

Clinics destroyed

Port Salut, one of several picturesque beach towns ravaged by waves, wind and rain, counted its first cholera case in seven months on Saturday, and two more suspected cases were brought by ambulance to the town&#39;s clinic.

U.S. medical aid group Americares dropped off supplies at the clinic, the only building standing among a group of shops flattened by the storm, before trying to reach Port-a-Piment further up the partially-flooded coastal road where the storm made landfall. A larger outbreak is suspected there.

Cholera was accidentally introduced to Haiti by United Nations peacekeepers after the 2010 earthquake and has since infected hundreds of thousands of people and killed more than 9,000 of them.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders scrambled teams by helicopter to southern Haiti to respond to cholera cases.

Clifford Gauther, the health ministry&acute;s director for Haiti&acute;s Sud Department, said cholera treatment centers, many made of metal sheeting, were destroyed by the hurricane. The ministry was rebuilding them.

Before the hurricane struck, the Central Emergency Response Fund released a loan of $8 million to the United Nations Childrens&#39; Fund, to ramp up the response to a worsening cholera epidemic in Haiti.

&quot;In 2016 almost 27,000 cholera cases have been reported in Haiti, and over 240 people have died. Hurricane Matthew is feared to significantly worsen the situation and increase the risk of a larger outbreak,&quot; CERF said in a statement on Friday.

It was hot and sunny on Saturday in Les Cayes in southern Haiti and residents cleared some debris from the streets. One man was putting up a tarpaulin over his exposed roof.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the town&#39;s main public hospital, floodwater had receded and a cholera clinic and emergency ward were in operation. The priority now was to try to restore electrical power so doctors would come to work at night, said hospital director Yves Domerbant.

As the shock of the storm wore off, the enormity of the damage was beginning to sink in.

&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;I have land but I don&#39;t have a house anymore.&nbsp;It&#39;s starting to traumatize me, my head hurts. I think about it too much,&quot; said Jean Vinel Joseph, 36, a medical orderly.

(Reuters)

At least 13 people have been killed in the outbreak as the Caribbean nation struggles to pick up the pieces

Cholera has killed at least 13 people in southwest Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, officials said on Saturday, as government teams fanned out across the hard-hit southwestern tip of the country to repair treatment centers and reach the epicenter of one outbreak. The storm took the lives of nearly 900 people in Haiti, many in remote towns clustered near the headland, according to a Reuters tally of numbers given by local officials. Haiti's central civil protection agency raised to 336 its official death toll, a slower count because officials must visit each village to confirm the numbers. The government said there would be three days of national mourning. Six people died of cholera in a hospital in the town of Randel, which is inland on the peninsula, and another seven died in the coastal town of Anse-d'Ainault on the western tip, the officials said, likely as flood waters mixed with sewage. Cholera causes severe diarrhea and can kill within hours if untreated. It is spread through contaminated water and has a short incubation period, which leads to rapid outbreaks. "Randel is isolated, you must cross water, you must go high in the mountains, cars cannot go, motorcycles cannot go,” said Eli Pierre Celestin, a member of team that fights cholera for the health ministry. "People have started dying." "There are nurses but no doctors," he said, concerned that cholera would spread due to lack of hygiene and as ground water moved because of rain and floods. He said there were also outbreaks in Port-a-Piment and Les Anglais, towns at the end of the Tiburon peninsula hardest hit by Matthew this week. Dr. Donald Francois, head of the Haitian health ministry´s cholera program, said 62 others were sick with cholera as a result of the storm. He said he was traveling to the south to oversee the response. Matthew slammed into South Carolina on Saturday, after skirting the Atlantic coast of Florida and Georgia, causing widespread power outages and flooding. Clinics destroyed Port Salut, one of several picturesque beach towns ravaged by waves, wind and rain, counted its first cholera case in seven months on Saturday, and two more suspected cases were brought by ambulance to the town's clinic. U.S. medical aid group Americares dropped off supplies at the clinic, the only building standing among a group of shops flattened by the storm, before trying to reach Port-a-Piment further up the partially-flooded coastal road where the storm made landfall. A larger outbreak is suspected there. Cholera was accidentally introduced to Haiti by United Nations peacekeepers after the 2010 earthquake and has since infected hundreds of thousands of people and killed more than 9,000 of them. The aid group Doctors Without Borders scrambled teams by helicopter to southern Haiti to respond to cholera cases. Clifford Gauther, the health ministry´s director for Haiti´s Sud Department, said cholera treatment centers, many made of metal sheeting, were destroyed by the hurricane. The ministry was rebuilding them. Before the hurricane struck, the Central Emergency Response Fund released a loan of $8 million to the United Nations Childrens' Fund, to ramp up the response to a worsening cholera epidemic in Haiti. "In 2016 almost 27,000 cholera cases have been reported in Haiti, and over 240 people have died. Hurricane Matthew is feared to significantly worsen the situation and increase the risk of a larger outbreak," CERF said in a statement on Friday. It was hot and sunny on Saturday in Les Cayes in southern Haiti and residents cleared some debris from the streets. One man was putting up a tarpaulin over his exposed roof. At the town's main public hospital, floodwater had receded and a cholera clinic and emergency ward were in operation. The priority now was to try to restore electrical power so doctors would come to work at night, said hospital director Yves Domerbant. As the shock of the storm wore off, the enormity of the damage was beginning to sink in. "I have land but I don't have a house anymore. It's starting to traumatize me, my head hurts. I think about it too much," said Jean Vinel Joseph, 36, a medical orderly. (Reuters)

Haiti: Cholera breaks out in wake of Hurricane Matthew

The Haitian authorities have postponed presidential and legislative elections originally set for&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;because of the havoc caused by Hurricane Matthew, election officials said&nbsp;Wednesday.

The impoverished Caribbean nation&#39;s last elections, in 2015, were cancelled amid violence and massive fraud, leaving the country stranded in political limbo ever since.

The president of Haiti&#39;s Provisional Electoral Council, Leopold Berlanger, said a new date for elections would be announced by&nbsp;next Wednesday&nbsp;at the latest, after talks between the various interested parties.

The authorities must first assess the damage caused by Matthew, which struck Haiti&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;as a Category Four hurricane with 230-kilometer (145-mile) an hour winds, he said.

The death toll from the storm stands at 10 people, but a bridge collapse cut off the area hardest hit, making the scope of the disaster still unclear.

&quot;In the southern region, we already know that many buildings have lost their roofs and some of them were going to be voting centers,&quot; Berlanger said.

Poll workers may be among the victims or those left homeless by the hurricane, he added.

A new hurdle&nbsp;

Haiti has been immersed in a political crisis since the first round of presidential elections held on October 25, 2015, drew opposition protests.

The election authorities concluded that there had been massive fraud and canceled the election results.

The two new polling dates had been fixed for&nbsp;October 9 and January 18, 2017.

The Organization of American States&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;expressed support for Haiti&#39;s decision to postpone the first round of voting, vowing to support &quot;the Haitian democratic process&quot;.

&quot;The OAS EOM will continue supporting the Haitian democratic process and will redeploy observers when the relevant authorities decide they are ready to hold elections,&quot; the chief of the OAS electoral observation mission, Juan Raul Ferreira, said in a statement.

Of the 54 candidates who took part in the presidential vote last year, 27 have confirmed they will participate in the election of a successor to Michel Martelly, who left office in February without a replacement.

Parliament had elected interim president Jocelerme Privert, but his 120-day mandate ended in June, leaving the country in a power vacuum yet again.

Amid the political turmoil, Haitians are grappling with chronic poverty and a number of major public health issues.

The Americas&#39; poorest nation &nbsp;home to 11 million people -- has been struggling to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake that has left thousands still living in tents.

Cholera has killed more than 10,000 people and affected some 700,000 since an outbreak in 2010, with 500 new cases reported every week.

Matthew now looms as another major hurdle to the restoration of constitutional order in Haiti.

&quot;The electoral process is not interrupted,&quot; Berlanger said. &quot;We are moving forward and working more intensively to deal with everything that needs to be done and also with these new problems.&quot;

(AFP)

The country's last elections, in 2015, were cancelled amidst violence & massive fraud leaving it stranded in political limbo ever since

The Haitian authorities have postponed presidential and legislative elections originally set for Sunday because of the havoc caused by Hurricane Matthew, election officials said Wednesday. The impoverished Caribbean nation's last elections, in 2015, were cancelled amid violence and massive fraud, leaving the country stranded in political limbo ever since. The president of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council, Leopold Berlanger, said a new date for elections would be announced by next Wednesday at the latest, after talks between the various interested parties. The authorities must first assess the damage caused by Matthew, which struck Haiti on Tuesday as a Category Four hurricane with 230-kilometer (145-mile) an hour winds, he said. The death toll from the storm stands at 10 people, but a bridge collapse cut off the area hardest hit, making the scope of the disaster still unclear. "In the southern region, we already know that many buildings have lost their roofs and some of them were going to be voting centers," Berlanger said. Poll workers may be among the victims or those left homeless by the hurricane, he added. A new hurdle Haiti has been immersed in a political crisis since the first round of presidential elections held on October 25, 2015, drew opposition protests. The election authorities concluded that there had been massive fraud and canceled the election results. The two new polling dates had been fixed for October 9 and January 18, 2017. The Organization of American States on Wednesday expressed support for Haiti's decision to postpone the first round of voting, vowing to support "the Haitian democratic process". "The OAS EOM will continue supporting the Haitian democratic process and will redeploy observers when the relevant authorities decide they are ready to hold elections," the chief of the OAS electoral observation mission, Juan Raul Ferreira, said in a statement. Of the 54 candidates who took part in the presidential vote last year, 27 have confirmed they will participate in the election of a successor to Michel Martelly, who left office in February without a replacement. Parliament had elected interim president Jocelerme Privert, but his 120-day mandate ended in June, leaving the country in a power vacuum yet again. Amid the political turmoil, Haitians are grappling with chronic poverty and a number of major public health issues. The Americas' poorest nation home to 11 million people -- has been struggling to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake that has left thousands still living in tents. Cholera has killed more than 10,000 people and affected some 700,000 since an outbreak in 2010, with 500 new cases reported every week. Matthew now looms as another major hurdle to the restoration of constitutional order in Haiti. "The electoral process is not interrupted," Berlanger said. "We are moving forward and working more intensively to deal with everything that needs to be done and also with these new problems." (AFP)

Hurricane Matthew postpones Haiti elections, again

Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in almost a decade, powered toward the Bahamas and Florida&#39;s eastern coast early on Wednesday after battering Haiti and Cuba with torrential rains and killing at least 17 people.

The hurricane, which the United Nations said created the worst humanitarian crisis to hit struggling Haiti since a devastating 2010 earthquake, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds on Tuesday, pummeling towns, farmland and resorts.

In the United States, millions of people were urged to evacuate the southeastern coast and Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents to prepare for a possible direct hit that could be catastrophic.

Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated from the path of the Matthew, which caused severe flooding and killed four people in the Dominican Republic as well as at least 13 in Haiti, the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola.

The storm carved a path of devastation through western Haiti, destroying houses, dumping boats and debris on coastal roads and heavily flooding residential areas.

Matthew was a Category Four hurricane through Tuesday but was downgraded to Category Three early on Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Maximum sustained winds eased to about 120 mph (193 kph) by late Wednesday morning but the NHC said the hurricane was likely to strengthen again slightly in the coming days.

The eye of the storm was about 105 miles (169 km) south of Long Island in the Bahamas on Wednesday morning and it was expected to be very near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening, the NHC said.

&quot;Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit,&quot; Scott said at a news conference in Tallahassee. &quot;If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared.&quot;

It was difficult to assess the severity of Matthew&#39;s impact in Haiti because it knocked out communications in many of the worst-affected areas, including the main bridge that links much of the country to the southwest peninsula.

Impoverished Haiti was a particular concern because tens of thousands of people still are living in tents and makeshift dwellings due to the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.

DEADLY TREES

Authorities said on Wednesday five people in Haiti were crushed by trees and six were swept away by swollen rivers.

&quot;More than 1,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by the flood waters and violent winds,&quot; said Ernst Ais, the mayor of the town of Cavaillon, near Les Cayes. He said a mother and three children died in floodwaters in his town.

Three men were killed in Leogane, near Port-au-Prince, when a coconut palm fell on their home, the mayor there said.

Mourad Wahba, the UN&nbsp;secretary-general&#39;s deputy special representative for Haiti, said much of the population had been displaced by Matthew and at least 10,000 were in shelter.

&quot;Haiti is facing the largest humanitarian event witnessed since the earthquake six years ago,&quot; he said.

Heifer International, a nonprofit organization working with farming families in Haiti, said farmland and businesses caught in Matthew&#39;s path had been devastated.

The US&nbsp;government said it was ready to help the afflicted and about 300 U.S. Marines set off on the USS Mesa Verde to provide disaster relief in Haiti, the Marines said in a tweet.

There were no immediate reports of deaths, casualties or major damage in Cuba, where the government emphasized hurricane preparation. But Matthew did thrash the tourist town of Baracoa in the province of Guantanamo, gutting many houses and dumping hunks of cement, wooden beams, roof tiles and fallen electrical lines on the streets.

The storm passed close to the disputed U.S. Naval base and military prison, and was on track to mow over the central and northwestern Bahamas, the NHC forecasts showed.

Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city, which lies in the southeast of Cuba, was not badly hit, state media said.

Officials in the Bahamas urged residents to evacuate to higher ground and the Ministry for Grand Bahama said on Facebook that government offices in New Providence and Grand Bahama were closed until further notice.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were extended along the east coast of Florida as the storm moved north.

South Carolina Governor Nikkei Haley on Tuesday declared a state of emergency&nbsp;and ordered the evacuation of more than 1 million people from Wednesday afternoon.

Tropical storm or hurricane conditions could affect parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina later this week, even if the center of Matthew remained offshore, the NHC said. Scott told residents to brace for tornadoes, strong winds, rip currents and flooding and urged those along the state&#39;s eastern coast to make plans to evacuate.

(Reuters)

The storm destroyed houses, dumping boats and debris on coastal roads and heavily flooding residential areas in western Haiti

Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in almost a decade, powered toward the Bahamas and Florida's eastern coast early on Wednesday after battering Haiti and Cuba with torrential rains and killing at least 17 people. The hurricane, which the United Nations said created the worst humanitarian crisis to hit struggling Haiti since a devastating 2010 earthquake, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds on Tuesday, pummeling towns, farmland and resorts. In the United States, millions of people were urged to evacuate the southeastern coast and Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents to prepare for a possible direct hit that could be catastrophic. Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated from the path of the Matthew, which caused severe flooding and killed four people in the Dominican Republic as well as at least 13 in Haiti, the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola. The storm carved a path of devastation through western Haiti, destroying houses, dumping boats and debris on coastal roads and heavily flooding residential areas. Matthew was a Category Four hurricane through Tuesday but was downgraded to Category Three early on Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Maximum sustained winds eased to about 120 mph (193 kph) by late Wednesday morning but the NHC said the hurricane was likely to strengthen again slightly in the coming days. The eye of the storm was about 105 miles (169 km) south of Long Island in the Bahamas on Wednesday morning and it was expected to be very near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening, the NHC said. "Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit," Scott said at a news conference in Tallahassee. "If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared." It was difficult to assess the severity of Matthew's impact in Haiti because it knocked out communications in many of the worst-affected areas, including the main bridge that links much of the country to the southwest peninsula. Impoverished Haiti was a particular concern because tens of thousands of people still are living in tents and makeshift dwellings due to the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people. DEADLY TREES Authorities said on Wednesday five people in Haiti were crushed by trees and six were swept away by swollen rivers. "More than 1,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by the flood waters and violent winds," said Ernst Ais, the mayor of the town of Cavaillon, near Les Cayes. He said a mother and three children died in floodwaters in his town. Three men were killed in Leogane, near Port-au-Prince, when a coconut palm fell on their home, the mayor there said. Mourad Wahba, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Haiti, said much of the population had been displaced by Matthew and at least 10,000 were in shelter. "Haiti is facing the largest humanitarian event witnessed since the earthquake six years ago," he said. Heifer International, a nonprofit organization working with farming families in Haiti, said farmland and businesses caught in Matthew's path had been devastated. The US government said it was ready to help the afflicted and about 300 U.S. Marines set off on the USS Mesa Verde to provide disaster relief in Haiti, the Marines said in a tweet. There were no immediate reports of deaths, casualties or major damage in Cuba, where the government emphasized hurricane preparation. But Matthew did thrash the tourist town of Baracoa in the province of Guantanamo, gutting many houses and dumping hunks of cement, wooden beams, roof tiles and fallen electrical lines on the streets. The storm passed close to the disputed U.S. Naval base and military prison, and was on track to mow over the central and northwestern Bahamas, the NHC forecasts showed. Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city, which lies in the southeast of Cuba, was not badly hit, state media said. Officials in the Bahamas urged residents to evacuate to higher ground and the Ministry for Grand Bahama said on Facebook that government offices in New Providence and Grand Bahama were closed until further notice. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were extended along the east coast of Florida as the storm moved north. South Carolina Governor Nikkei Haley on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of more than 1 million people from Wednesday afternoon. Tropical storm or hurricane conditions could affect parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina later this week, even if the center of Matthew remained offshore, the NHC said. Scott told residents to brace for tornadoes, strong winds, rip currents and flooding and urged those along the state's eastern coast to make plans to evacuate. (Reuters)

Hurricane Matthew kills at least 17

Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean&#39;s worst storm in nearly a decade.

Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week.

The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north.

The full scope of the damage, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew&#39;s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.

The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be difficult to find an alternative route,&quot; civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP.

Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.

The storm&#39;s eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 kilometers (nine miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Americans girded for a taste of nature&#39;s fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.

&quot;It&#39;s not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours,&quot; South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. &quot;If you can leave early, do that.&quot;

&#39;Extremely dangerous&#39;&nbsp;

Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an &quot;extremely dangerous&quot; Category Four storm, the maximum is five, near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti.

Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola, the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb.&nbsp;

Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic, where officials said 200 homes were damaged.

After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday.

It was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas&nbsp;and has been blamed for triggering mudslides.

The key port of Les Cayes, the country&#39;s third city is &quot;very seriously damaged&quot;, said Hervil Cherubin, Haiti director for the aid group Heifer International. &quot;Most roofs of houses, shops, gas stations are all gone.&quot;

&quot;Businesses near the ocean have totally disappeared, washed away,&quot; he added, with farms &quot;disappeared&quot; and livestock killed.

The country is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.

Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country&#39;s massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

More than 9,000 Haitians were evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.

But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas, where residents face serious flooding risks.

Schools will remain closed until Monday, but the authorities have not said whether long-delayed presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday will still take place.

First deluge, then mudslides&nbsp;

Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University.

It is expected to move past Cuba during the night.

Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east -- but no casualties so far.

The authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people.

One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. &quot;I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we&#39;ll see,&quot; he said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.

It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers. &nbsp;

The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend to Florida from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba&#39;s eastern tip.

Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency.

President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

&quot;If #Matthew directly impacts FL there will be massive destruction that we haven&#39;t seen in years,&quot; Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as Matthew bruised its way north

Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade. Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week. The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north. The full scope of the damage, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew's furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines. The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti. "It's going to be difficult to find an alternative route," civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP. Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip. The storm's eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 kilometers (nine miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. Americans girded for a taste of nature's fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties. "It's not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours," South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. "If you can leave early, do that." 'Extremely dangerous' Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an "extremely dangerous" Category Four storm, the maximum is five, near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti. Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola, the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb. Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic, where officials said 200 homes were damaged. After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday. It was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas and has been blamed for triggering mudslides. The key port of Les Cayes, the country's third city is "very seriously damaged", said Hervil Cherubin, Haiti director for the aid group Heifer International. "Most roofs of houses, shops, gas stations are all gone." "Businesses near the ocean have totally disappeared, washed away," he added, with farms "disappeared" and livestock killed. The country is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing. Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country's massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel. More than 9,000 Haitians were evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said. But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas, where residents face serious flooding risks. Schools will remain closed until Monday, but the authorities have not said whether long-delayed presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday will still take place. First deluge, then mudslides Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University. It is expected to move past Cuba during the night. Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east -- but no casualties so far. The authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people. One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. "I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we'll see," he said. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica. It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers. The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend to Florida from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba's eastern tip. Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency. President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "If #Matthew directly impacts FL there will be massive destruction that we haven't seen in years," Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter. (AFP)

Hurricane Matthew pummels Haiti and Cuba, evacuations ordered in US

&nbsp;

The US National Hurricane Centre warned that the center of the hurricane will approach Jamaica and southwestern Haiti on Monday, in possibly the most powerful storm to hit the Carribean.&nbsp;Hurricane Matthew threatens to produce devastating flash floods and mud slides.&nbsp;

Haiti began preparing for the storm evacuating residents by boats from remote islands. Albert Moulion, Haiti&#39;s interior ministry spokesman, &quot;We have already started evacuations,&quot; he said. &quot;The national center of emergency operations has been activated.&quot;The hurricane will also touch Jamaica&#39;s southern coast, the US National Hurricane Center is expecting up to 40 inches of rainfall in Haiti and 25 inches in Jamaica.&nbsp;

The Jamaican government was placing some 2,000 homeless people in shelters, Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development said. He also said the army reserves had been called to help limit the damage.

&quot;The hurricane will cause an interruption, obviously, in our economic activities here,&quot; Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. &quot;We have allocated all the resources we can given our fiscal restraints and I think that the country is prepared for the hurricane,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Jamaica has been going through an economic slowdown and the damage from the storm is expected to imapct the economy further.&nbsp;

Residents in Kingston, Jamaica&#39;s capital were stocking up on food&nbsp;and other necessities before the storm hit. A warning was also issued to fishermen to stay away from the seas.&nbsp;

Moving up the coast packing winds of up to 160 miles (260 kilometres) per hour, the storm claimed its first fatality on Friday in Colombia.&nbsp;

La Guajira&#39;s governor, Jorge Velez, said a 67-year-old man had drowned, &quot;Yes, unfortunately, a man was taken by a stream in Uribia. He was missing this morning. We were informed that the person was found drowned and this marks the first victim that, unfortunately, we have had at this point for the hurricane,&quot; Reuters reported.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Emergency evacuations were activated in Jamaica and Haiti as floods and high winds from Hurricane Matthew threatens to wreak havoc

The US National Hurricane Centre warned that the center of the hurricane will approach Jamaica and southwestern Haiti on Monday, in possibly the most powerful storm to hit the Carribean. Hurricane Matthew threatens to produce devastating flash floods and mud slides. Haiti began preparing for the storm evacuating residents by boats from remote islands. Albert Moulion, Haiti's interior ministry spokesman, "We have already started evacuations," he said. "The national center of emergency operations has been activated."The hurricane will also touch Jamaica's southern coast, the US National Hurricane Center is expecting up to 40 inches of rainfall in Haiti and 25 inches in Jamaica. The Jamaican government was placing some 2,000 homeless people in shelters, Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development said. He also said the army reserves had been called to help limit the damage. "The hurricane will cause an interruption, obviously, in our economic activities here," Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. "We have allocated all the resources we can given our fiscal restraints and I think that the country is prepared for the hurricane," he added. Jamaica has been going through an economic slowdown and the damage from the storm is expected to imapct the economy further. Residents in Kingston, Jamaica's capital were stocking up on food and other necessities before the storm hit. A warning was also issued to fishermen to stay away from the seas. Moving up the coast packing winds of up to 160 miles (260 kilometres) per hour, the storm claimed its first fatality on Friday in Colombia. La Guajira's governor, Jorge Velez, said a 67-year-old man had drowned, "Yes, unfortunately, a man was taken by a stream in Uribia. He was missing this morning. We were informed that the person was found drowned and this marks the first victim that, unfortunately, we have had at this point for the hurricane," Reuters reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Hurricane Matthew: Jamaica, Haiti brace for fiercest storm in decade

Philippe Coutinho grabbed a hat-trick as Brazil ramped up their Copa America campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over a hapless Haiti yesterday. 
 
Renato Augusto scored a brace and substitutes Lucas Lima and Gabriel also goaled for Brazil while James Marcelin put in Haiti&#39;s consolation goal. 
 
The scoreline, identical to Brazil&#39;s nightmare 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final two years ago, took Brazil to the top of Group B with four points, ahead of the game between Peru and Ecuador. 
 
Coutinho got Brazil off to a positive start in the Camping World stadium with a goal after 14 minutes when he skipped past a defender and hammered home from 20 metres out. 
 
He doubled Brazil&#39;s lead 15 minutes later thanks to Jonas, who was on hand to poke a loose ball across goal and leave the Liverpool player with the simplest of tap-ins. 
 
Renato Augusto made it three in 35 minutes when he rose unmarked to head home a cross from the right. 
 
Although the eight-times Copa America champions appeared to take their foot off the pedal in the second half, they still created chances at will against 74th-ranked Haiti. 
 
Gabriel scored the fourth just 13 minutes after replacing Jonas at half-time and his Santos team mate Lucas Lima nodded home a Dani Alves cross eight minutes later. 
 
Haitian striker Marcelin delighted the Caribbean contingent in the Orlando crowd by hammering in a rebound but Renato Augusto restored Brazil&#39;s five-goal advantage when he seized on a loose pass and side-footed home from 20 metres. 
 
Coutinho completed his hat-trick in the final minute of injury time with a trademark 25-metre strike. 
 
Brazil, who were held 0-0 by Ecuador in their opener, next face Peru on Sunday. Haiti, who also lost their opener to Peru 1-0, will take on Ecuador.

The scoreline took Brazil to the top of Group B ahead of the game between Peru and Ecuador

Philippe Coutinho grabbed a hat-trick as Brazil ramped up their Copa America campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over a hapless Haiti yesterday. Renato Augusto scored a brace and substitutes Lucas Lima and Gabriel also goaled for Brazil while James Marcelin put in Haiti's consolation goal. The scoreline, identical to Brazil's nightmare 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final two years ago, took Brazil to the top of Group B with four points, ahead of the game between Peru and Ecuador. Coutinho got Brazil off to a positive start in the Camping World stadium with a goal after 14 minutes when he skipped past a defender and hammered home from 20 metres out. He doubled Brazil's lead 15 minutes later thanks to Jonas, who was on hand to poke a loose ball across goal and leave the Liverpool player with the simplest of tap-ins. Renato Augusto made it three in 35 minutes when he rose unmarked to head home a cross from the right. Although the eight-times Copa America champions appeared to take their foot off the pedal in the second half, they still created chances at will against 74th-ranked Haiti. Gabriel scored the fourth just 13 minutes after replacing Jonas at half-time and his Santos team mate Lucas Lima nodded home a Dani Alves cross eight minutes later. Haitian striker Marcelin delighted the Caribbean contingent in the Orlando crowd by hammering in a rebound but Renato Augusto restored Brazil's five-goal advantage when he seized on a loose pass and side-footed home from 20 metres. Coutinho completed his hat-trick in the final minute of injury time with a trademark 25-metre strike. Brazil, who were held 0-0 by Ecuador in their opener, next face Peru on Sunday. Haiti, who also lost their opener to Peru 1-0, will take on Ecuador.

Brazil hammer hapless Haiti 7-1 in Copa America massacre

More than two dozen people have signed up to run for Haiti&#39;s presidency, authorities said on Wednesday, including the four leading candidates from an earlier election aborted after a commission found widespread fraud. 
 
Unless registrations rise significantly before a midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, the number of presidential candidates will be about half those who contested the last ballot in Haiti, the hemisphere&#39;s poorest country. 
 
Fewer candidates could make the election due on October 9 easier to organise, with several politicians who ran last time pledging support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot. 
 
&quot;This joint effort is a choice for stability and democracy, against corruption and fraudulent election,&quot; Celestin told reporters. 
 
Jovenel Moise, who came first last time, again registered to run, as did Jean-Charles Moise and Maryse Narcisse who came third and fourth last time. 
 
The registration of Moise removes uncertainty over whether his PHTK party would take part in the new election. The party&#39;s position had been that irregularities in the first round were not large enough to alter the outcome and that it would be better to hold a run-off vote between Celestin and Moise, a position supported by Washington and other donors. 
 
&quot;There is no question of abandoning the election process because we believe in democracy, and the only way to access power in a democracy is through election,&quot; &nbsp; said&nbsp;Rudy Heriveaux, a spokesman for Moise&#39;s PHTK party,. 
 
Haiti&#39;s last elected president left office without an elected successor, paving the way for an interim government led by President Jocelerme Privert. He failed to organise elections by May in a timeline set in a multi-party deal, but may end up staying on to organise the next vote. 
 
&quot;We continue to believe that Jocelerme Privert should leave power because his term is over, and he is manipulating the election process in favor of his political family,&quot; Heriveaux said. 
 
&quot;If the election is free, fair and democratic, there is no doubt that Jovenel Moise will win,&quot; he said. 
 
Former presidential candidate, Sauveur Pierre Etienne, who is now supporting Celestin, said he made that choice because he believes Celestin is the best man to lead the country. 
 
&quot;I support Jude Celestin because he showed that he is a man of character,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Several politicians who ran last time pledge support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot

More than two dozen people have signed up to run for Haiti's presidency, authorities said on Wednesday, including the four leading candidates from an earlier election aborted after a commission found widespread fraud. Unless registrations rise significantly before a midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, the number of presidential candidates will be about half those who contested the last ballot in Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest country. Fewer candidates could make the election due on October 9 easier to organise, with several politicians who ran last time pledging support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot. "This joint effort is a choice for stability and democracy, against corruption and fraudulent election," Celestin told reporters. Jovenel Moise, who came first last time, again registered to run, as did Jean-Charles Moise and Maryse Narcisse who came third and fourth last time. The registration of Moise removes uncertainty over whether his PHTK party would take part in the new election. The party's position had been that irregularities in the first round were not large enough to alter the outcome and that it would be better to hold a run-off vote between Celestin and Moise, a position supported by Washington and other donors. "There is no question of abandoning the election process because we believe in democracy, and the only way to access power in a democracy is through election," said Rudy Heriveaux, a spokesman for Moise's PHTK party,. Haiti's last elected president left office without an elected successor, paving the way for an interim government led by President Jocelerme Privert. He failed to organise elections by May in a timeline set in a multi-party deal, but may end up staying on to organise the next vote. "We continue to believe that Jocelerme Privert should leave power because his term is over, and he is manipulating the election process in favor of his political family," Heriveaux said. "If the election is free, fair and democratic, there is no doubt that Jovenel Moise will win," he said. Former presidential candidate, Sauveur Pierre Etienne, who is now supporting Celestin, said he made that choice because he believes Celestin is the best man to lead the country. "I support Jude Celestin because he showed that he is a man of character," he said. (Reuters)

More than two dozen register to run for Haiti presidency

More than 130,000 people of Haitian origin living in the Dominican Republic risk deportation because it is nearly impossible for them to renew their temporary residency permits, a migrant aid group official said. 
 
From June 2015 to May 2016, 106,000 Haitians were deported or left the Dominican Republic, according to the latest statistics from Amnesty International. 
 
The Intentional Organization for Migration found that 1,516 unaccompanied minors were expelled from the Dominican Republic during that time, in violation of an agreement with Haiti in 1999. 
 
A 2013 Dominican Republic court ruling said people born there to parents without legal residency would no longer be considered Dominican. Most are of Haitian origin. 
 
The Dominican Republic began enforcing the policy last summer. Some of those deported had never lived in Haiti. 
 
The decision has hurt ties between the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola. 
 
For many Haitians, the treatment amounts to racism against black people by Dominicans, most of whom are lighter skinned and of mixed heritage. 
 
More than 250,000 people - mostly those born to Haitian parents - became stateless under the court ruling. 
 
A Dominican program allowed more than 130,000 people of Haitian origin to obtain a residency permit, but it is only valid for a year. 
 
Those who aren&#39;t able to renew their permits by July 18 face deportation. 
 
&quot;The Dominican authorities did not want to solve this problem once and for all,&quot; said Lissaint Antoine of the Jesuit Refugee and Migrant Organization. 
 
&quot;The majority of these 130,000 people don&#39;t have the financial means or the documents that would allow them to renew their permits.&quot; 
 
Migrant rights groups have denounced the specifics of the residency program. 
 
&quot;To qualify, people were asked to present proof of employment, but the residency permit doesn&#39;t give them the right to work,&quot; Antoine said. 
 
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, crippled by long-term political instability and a devastating quake in 2010. 
(AFP)

The residency permit to over 130,000 Haitians was valid only for a year. People who aren't able to renew them by July 18 face deportation

More than 130,000 people of Haitian origin living in the Dominican Republic risk deportation because it is nearly impossible for them to renew their temporary residency permits, a migrant aid group official said. From June 2015 to May 2016, 106,000 Haitians were deported or left the Dominican Republic, according to the latest statistics from Amnesty International. The Intentional Organization for Migration found that 1,516 unaccompanied minors were expelled from the Dominican Republic during that time, in violation of an agreement with Haiti in 1999. A 2013 Dominican Republic court ruling said people born there to parents without legal residency would no longer be considered Dominican. Most are of Haitian origin. The Dominican Republic began enforcing the policy last summer. Some of those deported had never lived in Haiti. The decision has hurt ties between the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola. For many Haitians, the treatment amounts to racism against black people by Dominicans, most of whom are lighter skinned and of mixed heritage. More than 250,000 people - mostly those born to Haitian parents - became stateless under the court ruling. A Dominican program allowed more than 130,000 people of Haitian origin to obtain a residency permit, but it is only valid for a year. Those who aren't able to renew their permits by July 18 face deportation. "The Dominican authorities did not want to solve this problem once and for all," said Lissaint Antoine of the Jesuit Refugee and Migrant Organization. "The majority of these 130,000 people don't have the financial means or the documents that would allow them to renew their permits." Migrant rights groups have denounced the specifics of the residency program. "To qualify, people were asked to present proof of employment, but the residency permit doesn't give them the right to work," Antoine said. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, crippled by long-term political instability and a devastating quake in 2010. (AFP)

130,000 Haitians face deportation from Dominican Republic

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