Haiti has been hit with the strongest Caribbean storm in nine years after Hurricane Mathew which has already claimed three lives swept through the south-western peninsula.
It sent storm surges, wind and rain into seaside towns with those living in vulnerable coastal shacks scampering for safety and shelter.
Residents are now braced up for more storms as Matthew, a violent Category 4 storm packing 145 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds, was due to pound the western tip of Haiti early on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said.
Ferocious rain and wind thrashed Haiti throughout early Monday. Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency reported the coastal towns of Anse-d’Hainault and Tiburon had partially flooded. Up to 40 inches of rain could be dumped on the impoverished nation — one still recovering from a devastating earthquake that struck six years ago.
“We have gusts of wind hitting the whole area and the people have fled to a shelter,” said Les Anglais mayor Jean-Claude Despierre. In Tiburon, another town nearby, the mayor said people who had been reluctant to leave their homes also fled when the sea rose.
“Everyone is trying to find a safe place to protect themselves, the situation is very difficult,” Mayor Remiza Denize said, describing large waves hitting the town.
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