Hurricane Matthew forces Haiti to postpone presidential election

2016-10-06 17

Rescue workers in Haiti say they are struggling to reach parts of the Island, cut off in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

The storm, one of the most powerful to cross the Caribbean in nearly a decade, has killed dozens and left thousands displaced.

The UN says it is the worst humanitarian crisis to hit Haiti since the devastating 2010 earthquake, as authorities there were forced to postpone the country’s presidential election.

Leopold Berlanger, President of the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council said: “First of all we must assess the situation as an electoral body then consult and have dialogue with the affected authorities…..so that by Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at the latest, we can set a new date for the elections.”

The are fears the category three storm, which is apparently gaining strength, could be the first major hurricane to make US landfall since 2005.

In Florida, Georgia and South Carolina officials have warned more than one and half million people to evacuate coastal areas in case Matthew comes ashore.