In Haiti, the Heartbreaking Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew

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In Haiti, the Heartbreaking Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew

IN PICTURES: Haiti had been hit so hard by the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade that people considered themselves lucky to be alive.

Haiti had been hit so hard by Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, that people considered themselves lucky to be alive. Villages making contact with the outside in early October, days after the cyclone ripped through the impoverished nation's picturesque western peninsula, like Jeremie, were in ruins. "My house was totally destroyed during the storm," said 29-year-old mother Marie Ange St Juste. "I lost everything, but I was lucky that none of my children died. Now my situation is very bad, we need help." The death toll rose to more than 1,000 people. One of Matthew's worst repercussions was the outbreak of cholera. Many people flooded hospital units for treatment.

teleSUR takes a look at the harsh aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

Roseline Charles (R), 57, poses for a photograph next to her relatives in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 15, 2016. "As you can see, my house was completely destroyed, we lost everything. None of us died during the hurricane but we are homeless now," said Charles.

Prenille Nord, 42, poses for a photograph with his children Darline and Kervins among the debris of their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 17, 2016. "My house is completely destroyed, I have nothing left. Now we are homeless and I'm currently living in a shelter with my family but that makes no sense to me. I'm scared of the cholera. People around us are becoming sick, I really need help, so far we have not received any aid," said Nord.

Eric Dominique (R), 26, poses for a photograph with his wife Mickerlange Pierre, 25, and their one-year-old son Jevens, in front of their partially rebuilt house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 20, 2016. "My house was completely destroyed during the hurricane, no one died but we lost everything; clothes, my son's medical reports, his medicines, money, everything. I built this small place to live with my baby and my wife. This is my new house, but our situation is very bad. I'm concerned about my baby, we really need help," said Dominique.

Carine Louis-Jean, 22, poses for a photograph in her destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 17, 2016. "The roof of my house is completely gone and some of walls were destroyed. I have lost everything I had, but I thank God that I have a friend who is letting me stay at her house. I could say I'm lucky, because none of my family died during the hurricane, but I do not think I'm lucky," said Louis-Jean.

Rose-Marie Edmond, 74, poses for a photograph in her destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 16, 2016. "I have no place to live, all my house is gone. I'm sleeping in a shelter and I haven't the strength to start again," said Edmond.

Liface Luc, 66, poses for a photograph in his destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 15, 2016. "I don't need to say nothing, my house explains everything. It's completely flat. I lost everything; my crops, my animals, so I have nothing left. It's like my two hands had been cut. What can I say? I'm at death's door," said Luc.

Rose Marie Michel, 64, poses for a photograph among the debris of her destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 17, 2016. "My house was completely destroyed; no wall left standing, no traces of the roof or the things I had inside. I lost everything. I stayed with neighbours for a short time before moving to a shelter. I don't have anyone dead but right now I'm another Haitian homeless living in a shelter," said Michel.

Marie Ange St Juste (R), 29, poses for a photograph with her sons, Kensley, 7 (L), and Peterley, 5, in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 17, 2016. "My house was totally destroyed during the storm," said St Juste. "I lost everything, but I was lucky that none of my children died. Now my situation is very bad, we need help."

Matha Dominique (R), 67, poses for a photograph with her relatives at their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 19, 2016. "I thought that it was the end of the world. I lost everything, my crops, my animals - things that took many years to build, disappeared in few minutes. At my age, do you think that I could do something or start again, I think not. God is accountable for my situation, should I thank him for having done this to me?" said Dominique.

Fara Pierrelouis (R), 32, and Fresno Thelisma, 16, pose for a photograph in their destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 16, 2016.

Published 10 November 2016