Haiti was counting the cost of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Matthew on Saturday night, with almost 900 inhabitants killed and tens of thousands displaced in the Caribbean country. “Due to massive flooding and its impact on water and sanitation infrastructure, cholera cases are expected to surge after Hurricane Matthew and through the normal rainy season, until the start of 2017,” the Pan American Health Organisation said in a statement. Matthew rampaged through Haiti’s western peninsula on Tuesday with 145mph (233km/h) winds and torrential rain. At least three towns in the hills and coast of Haiti’s fertile western tip reported dozens of people killed. By Saturday afternoon, the US National Hurricane Centre had downgraded Matthew to a Category One hurricane, as maximum sustained winds decreased to 75mph.

Source: The Guardian October 08, 2016 21:08 UTC