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UN Chief Surveys Hurricane Damage in Haiti

by VOA News

   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived Saturday in Les Cayes, on
   the southern coast of Haiti, to tour the devastation caused this month
   by Hurricane Matthew and to meet with families who lost their homes.

   Shortly before Ban's arrival at a U.N. base in Les Cayes, a minor
   skirmish occurred between residents and U.N. peacekeepers after trucks
   carrying food aid arrived. The peacekeepers fired tear gas to restore
   order.

   A World Health Organization coordinator said two containers loaded with
   supplies from the World Food Program also were looted outside the U.N.
   base.

   Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on October 4, killing more than 500
   people and leaving more than 1 million in need of humanitarian aid.
   More than 175,000 people lost their homes, and valuable farmland was
   destroyed.

   Tensions are high in the southwest region, which was hardest hit by the
   Category 4 hurricane. Many residents have not yet received emergency
   food, aid and potable water is unavailable.

   The nation of 11 million also has been racked by a cholera epidemic
   that began in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in 2010. The
   disease has killed more than 10,000 people and sickened more than
   800,000 since then, and hundreds of new cases are being reported every
   week.

   Heavy rains brought by the hurricane caused rivers and outdoor latrines
   to overflow, creating perfect conditions for spreading the waterborne
   disease, which produces severe diarrhea and is caused by drinking
   contaminated water or eating contaminated food.

   Ban was to depart for Ecuador's capital, Quito, late Saturday.

   Elections set

   Haiti announced Friday that its long-delayed presidential and
   legislative elections would be held November 20, after a delay caused
   by Hurricane Matthew.

   The Provisional Electoral Council said the second round of elections
   was scheduled for January 29.

   Haiti's elections had been scheduled for last week. The country's
   previous elections, in 2015, were canceled because of violence and
   fraud, leaving Haiti in political limbo.

   The most recent president, Michel Martelly, left office in February and
   has not been replaced. Parliament elected Jocelerme Privert as interim
   president, but his 120-day mandate expired in June.