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Death toll in Haiti rises after Hurricane Matthew

The death toll in Haiti has reached about 1,000 due to Hurricane Matthew, according to a report made by Reuters.

The storm, which touched down on the island on Tuesday, Oct. 4 with winds that reached up to 145 mph, has officially killed 336 people, according to the Central Protection Agency.

According to a Reuters report, authorities have started burying the dead in mass graves in Jeremie, Haiti.

The storm, which lessened to a Category 1 after making landfall in South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 8, has “completely destroyed” almost 90 percent of Southern Haiti, according to BBC News.

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Reuters also reported that several deaths were caused by falling trees, overflowing rivers and flying debris.

Over 28,000 houses have been damaged according to Haitian officials. Phone lines and electricity has been down since the storm hit, and at least 350,000 people are in need of some kind of assistance following the hurricane.

According to a report from Reuters, Haitian officials are now concerned with cholera spreading across the country, and are focused on getting water, food and medication to those living in shelters.

While the storm has lost strength and headed out to sea after touching down in North Carolina, both Haiti and several states in the U.S. are still feeling effects.

In North Carolina, floodwaters continue to rise, flowing over river banks threatening dams and hitting record levels. More than two dozen people have died in the U.S. from the storm and its aftermath.

The East Coast of Florida was deeply effected by Hurricane Matthew. Buildings have crumbled and houses have been destroyed.

Flagler College, a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida, experienced extreme flooding during the storm, with flooding damage reaching up to four floors in dormotories.

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