Haiti reels after Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and is headed back out to sea. But its rampage across the Caribbean and up the US coastline has left a trail of destruction, particularly in southwest Haiti. High winds, torrential rains and flooding there killed hundreds of people, with some estimates putting the death toll at 1,000.

Electricity is out through much of the region hit by the storm in Haiti, and water and food are scarce. Hospital resources are stretched thin, with basic resources like cars and ambulances lacking. Many patients have been carried in for treatment, sometimes for miles.

As the cleanup continues, cholera remains a concern in the country already suffering from severe food insecurity and malnutrition. A lack of clean water in rural communities has led to a sharp increase in the waterborne illness, which causes severe diarrhea. A cholera outbreak after the 2010 earthquake, accidentally introduced by UN peacekeepers, has led to more than 10,000 deaths.

After tearing through Haiti, the storm swept up the southeast coast of the US, flooding coastal communities and causing considerable damage. To date, the storm has been linked to at least 17 deaths in the US. But with rising floodwaters, authorities fear more victims. "Hurricane Matthew is off the map. But it is still with us. And it is still deadly," said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory.

On Monday, the UN called for $119 million (107 million euros) to provide food, shelter and clean drinking water to the roughly 750,000 people directly hit by the hurricane in Haiti. "Hurricane Matthew has resulted in the largest humanitarian crisis in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake," it said in a statement. Countries like the US, the Netherlands and Bolivia have already shipped in supplies.

Around 1 million Haitians are in need of urgent assistance, according to the NGO Care-France, and the UN has estimated that up to 80 percent of crops have been lost in some areas. US President Barack Obama has urged people to donate the Red Cross or other charities, stressing that the people of Haiti will "need help rebuilding."