Hurricane Matthew Death Toll Reaches More Than 100 in Haiti

The Hurricane Matthew death toll in Haiti has reached more than 100 as of Thursday, officials said.

Haiti’s interior minister, François Anick Joseph, told The Washington Post that at least 108 deaths were due to the storm. In the Dominican Republic, four deaths were reported.

In addition to the death toll and the destruction of infrastructure, the area has experienced an uptick in cholera cases because of increased flooding in the region.

At least three cases of cholera were reported in Jeremie, on the southwestern tip of Haiti, said Holly Frew, a spokeswoman for the aid group CARE in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Cholera is a potentially deadly disease spread by contaminated water. Flooding increases the risk of cholera’s spread, and relief agencies are trying to figure out how to bring clean water and emergency sanitation systems to affected areas.

Some areas of Haiti were totally destroyed and leveled to the ground by the Category 4 storm, according to aerial images from the U.S. Coast Guard. Roofs were ripped off of homes, wooden houses became pieces of wood, and palm groves were leveled to the ground.

Relief efforts are already underway in the country.

The U.S. Navy has sent three ships to Haiti, including an aircraft carrier and a hospital ship carrying 300 Marines, The Post reported.

Hurricane Matthew is expected to head towards the U.S. later Thursday, heading up the coastline to South Carolina.