Over 350,000 people in Haiti need emergency aid after Hurricane Matthew ripped through their country on Tuesday, then making its rounds across the United States coastline. That number is not counting the death toll – which was last counted at 877 and rising by the hour according to Guardian.

Many of the news stories surrounding Hurricane Matthew’s destruction of Haiti have included stories of residents that lost their homes, like Gisette Maurice who is 62 and recently moved into a home she had been building for years. “I’ve lost my appetite; I can’t eat,” Maurice told Washington Post. “I just keep thinking about what I have to do to rebuild this.”

Maurice’s story is similar now to many Haitians who have lost everything. Fallen trees and power lines, dilapidated buildings, and flooding are the scene in Southern Haiti where winds blew up to 130mph. It was reported that 90% of this region was hit the hardest by the category 4 storm.

The storm weakened to a category 1 when it made landfall in the United States on Saturday morning according the NBC News. Nine people in the southeast U.S. were killed according to early reports.

As more and more lives continue to be changed by Hurricane Matthew, we think about the dollar amount it will take to rebuild. We have read how the Red Cross received half a billion dollars in donations after an earthquake hit Haiti, and only built six homes with that money since 2011. Today, and in weeks to come, we must listen and give to local organizations on the ground whose work has been verified and proven. 

Black Youth Project stands in solidarity with all those affected by Hurricane Matthew.

 

This article will be updated as additional news develops on this tragic natural disaster.

 

Photo credit: express.co.uk