Hurricane Matthew Death Toll Hits 842 in Haiti

Officials in Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said Friday that at least 842 people have died as a result of Hurricane Matthew. The International Red Cross appealed for help for the Caribbean nation as receding floodwaters began to reveal the scale of devastation left after Hurricane Matthew rampaged through at Category 4 strength. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise as emergency personnel and UN disaster-response teams began to reach its most isolated areas, including its southwest peninsula, where some 283 bodies were discovered Thursday in just one area. The aid agency estimated 1 million Haitians were affected by the impoverished island nation’s first major hurricane since 2007, and more than 50,000 are in immediate need of food, water, shelter, and medical care after 140 mph winds and rain flattened tens of thousands of homes and did widespread damage to crops, water-treatment facilities, and wells. The catastrophe led the Haitian government to postpone its presidential election, which was scheduled for this weekend. Local medics are now raising concerns over a possible cholera outbreak on the island.

Photos: View Hurricane Matthew’s Destructive Path