Haiti Could Face Famine in Three Months in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

Haiti may face famine within three or four months after being hit by Hurricane Matthew, the interim president said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Haiti risks facing famine within several months in the wake of the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Matthew, Interim President Jocelerme Privert said Tuesday.

"But the concern is if we don't take action now for the longer impact… three to four months when the foods stop coming we are going to have a real famine," Privert said, as quoted by the BBC.

The interim president's comment comes a day after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a "massive response" to the disaster and launched a $120-million appeal to cover UN assistance over the next three months. A number of countries have also pledged millions of dollars and hundreds of tons of aid to Haiti.

Hurricane Matthew, which on Monday passed South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, has now been downgraded to category two. On its way across the Caribbean, the storm wreaked havoc in Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and Jamaica.

In Haiti, Matthew reportedly resulted in the death of some 900 people and became the country’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2010 earthquake. Thousands have been displaced, while over a million people were left in need of assistance.