Haiti hurricane death toll rises to 842
Oct 8 (China News Service) - According to foreign media reports, Haiti has been severely devastated by a hurricane, and the death toll has now surged to 842. In response, the United States has dispatched a warship and 300 Navy personnel to join the relief effort, and France has also sent 60 military personnel and emergency relief supplies to the disaster areas in Haiti.
According to reports, Hurricane Matthew has recently been moving north along the Atlantic coast of Florida in the United States, and three US states have entered a state of alert to guard against the hurricane. UN agencies have urgently mobilized to provide aid to Haiti.
The US Department of Defense recently announced that the United States has dispatched a warship and 300 Navy personnel to Haiti, which was severely hit by Hurricane Matthew, to join the emergency rescue operation there. The Pentagon said the warship and military personnel will strengthen the US relief deployment in the area. At present, 250 US military personnel and 9 helicopters are already carrying out relief operations in the disaster areas in Haiti.
The French presidential office also said recently that France has urgently dispatched 60 security military personnel and 32 tons of relief supplies to the disaster areas in Haiti. In a statement from the Elysee Palace, President Hollande expressed the hope that France would mobilize urgently and join European partner countries and the international community in participating in the relief operation in Haiti.
The statement also said that the most urgent task at present is to provide drinkable water to the disaster areas and prevent a cholera outbreak. The relief supplies provided by France include two water purification devices.
It is understood that Hurricane Matthew has caused major damage in Haiti, and the death toll has risen rapidly. According to Reuters, citing local officials, 842 people have now been killed, tens of thousands have been left homeless, and farmland has also been severely damaged. As information gradually came in from remote areas previously cut off from outside contact by the storm, it was learned that at least 175 people died in mountain villages and areas along the western coast.
The death toll caused by the hurricane disaster continues to climb, but the figures released by various Haitian government agencies and committees differ from one another. According to death statistics obtained by Reuters from local civil protection officials, 842 deaths have been confirmed.
In addition, Hurricane Matthew moved north along the Atlantic coast of Florida in the early morning of the 7th, US Eastern Time, causing power outages for 600,000 households in Florida. Authorities warned that the danger is not over yet, and the coastal areas of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina remain within the alert zone, where heavy rain must be strictly guarded against. Matthew has now weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, and more than 500,000 people have been urgently evacuated in Georgia.
The World Meteorological Organization said at a press conference in Geneva that according to current tracking, Hurricane “Matthew” will not directly strike the US state of Florida, but will linger in coastal areas for several days. Potential flooding caused by heavy rain will bring risks to coastal areas.
In addition, UN agencies have urgently mobilized to provide aid to Haiti and areas of the Caribbean affected by Hurricane “Matthew”. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday that Hurricane “Matthew” has severely affected southern Haiti. According to reports from the Haitian government, 350,000 people urgently need emergency humanitarian assistance.
At the same time, UN agencies and international relief organizations, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, are all urgently mobilizing to provide aid to Haiti and countries and regions in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane “Matthew”.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that as time goes on, the number of people in Haiti needing emergency assistance is expected to continue to rise. According to preliminary statistics, at least 2,000 families have been buried by floods, and many houses have been damaged to varying degrees.
At least 15,600 people have been evacuated. The World Food Programme said that in order to respond to the arrival of the hurricane, it prepared one month's rations for about 300,000 people in Haiti.
UNICEF said that 500,000 children live in the southern region affected by Hurricane “Matthew”. It is believed that 175 schools have been damaged. At least 150 schools are being used as temporary shelters. UNICEF has prepared emergency relief supplies for 10,000 people.
The World Health Organization said it has dispatched emergency rescue teams to areas in Haiti affected by the hurricane. It said Haiti has 15 major hospitals, 9 of which are now operating normally, although some hospitals have suffered damage. The WHO said it has also made preparations for a possible cholera outbreak.