Hurricane Matthew killed at least 842 people and rendered tens of thousands homeless after it battered Haiti earlier this week. Several people are still missing four days after the storm.
Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic tropical storm in almost a decade, heavily bore down on Haiti, with extreme gust speed, after gathering strength while spinning across the Caribbean Sea.
Water-born epidemics like cholera have already broken out as potable water got contaminated by sewerage and is claiming more lives.
Rescue operations in Haiti are delayed because of the remoteness of the terrain and the impoverished condition of the state. Poorly equipped rural clinics are filling with victims but are they are lacking adequate medical care, reported Reuters.
People mostly died in fishing villages along the southwest coast and in towns. According to the news agency, houses are levelled and metal roofs are ripped off. Several parts of the country also faced severe power cuts.
Emergency workers told Reuters that many victims were killed by falling trees, flying debris and flooding rivers after Matthew lashed the Caribbean country with strong winds and torrential rain. Also the category four hurricane destroyed livestock.
Haiti, the poorest American country, is still recovering from the catastrophic earthquake of 2010. According to CNN, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Haiti, Mourad Wahba, described the hurricane as the "largest humanitarian event" since the earthquake.
MATTHEW BATTERS FLORIDA
However, Matthew weakened a little as United States' southeast coast braced for the hurricane on 7 October. The storm was downgraded to category 2 as its wind speed dropped to 110 mph.
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Florida as it prepared itself for severe blows from the monster storm. Roughly around three million people have been evacuated from the areas that came in the hurricane's path.
More than 1.1 million people were without power as Matthew battered Florida and South Carolina with heavy rain and dangerous storm surge.
According to Times of India, one person was killed in Volusia County by a falling tree after venturing outside to feed animals.
The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, at a news conference said, "This storm will kill you." He urged people to cooperate for prompt evacuation.
"This is life and death," he added.
