UN: Haiti faces ‘humanitarian tragedy’ and acute emergency

The U.N. envoy for Haiti says the impoverished Caribbean nation is facing “a humanitarian tragedy and an acute emergency situation” with 1.4 million people needing immediate help.

Sandra Honore told the Security Council on Tuesday that the health impact of Hurricane Matthew “cannot be overestimated.”

She said already fragile water and sanitation infrastructure has been severely damaged, resulting in the absence of drinking water and “a very high level of infections from diarrheal disease, including, but not exclusively, cholera.”

Honore said there are hundreds of suspected cholera cases, and “we are already seeing the first deaths.”

She said the United Nations is providing water purification systems and medicine to hard-to-reach areas.

Honore appealed to people everywhere to contribute to the $120 million U.N. appeal to help hurricane victims.