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Haiti: Recovery and resilience after Hurricane Matthew

Months after the storm, progress is slow but many Haitians remain hopeful for the future.

A man works to rebuild the roof of a schoolhouse that was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A man works to rebuild the roof of a schoolhouse that was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
By Alex McDougall
1 Apr 2017

Les Anglais, Haiti – Hurricane Matthew made landfall on October 4, 2016, slamming into Haiti’s southern peninsula and killing an estimated 1,332 people.

Desperate Haitians sought shelter in everything from churches to caves and graves as 235km/hour winds pounded the country’s coast.

The storm levelled homes, killed livestock and destroyed agriculture in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.

A United Nations report from February estimated that 175,000 people are still displaced as a result of it and 280,000 people remain “highly food insecure”.

Months after the storm, the progress of recovery is slow as residents lack the economic resources to rebuild their homes. Instead, families are packed into small structures erected from scavenged materials and covered by emergency tarps distributed by aid organisations.

Still, many Haitians express hope for their future as the country welcomes a newly inaugurated president and looks to avoid the mistakes that plagued the aid effort after the country’s devastating earthquake in 2010.

Members of Mission Evangelical Baptist Church listen to the pastor during a Sunday service. Although Hurricane Matthew tore off the church's roof, hundreds of Les Anglais citizens were able to take shelter within its walls. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Members of Mission Evangelical Baptist Church listen to the pastor during a Sunday service. Although Hurricane Matthew tore off the church's roof, hundreds of Les Anglais citizens were able to take shelter within its walls. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
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Young girls wait to greet a group of missionaries from Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon. Some international aid has reached Les Anglais, but the community is still in need of basic necessities such as food and building materials. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Young girls wait to greet a group of missionaries from Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon. Some international aid has reached Les Anglais, but the community is still in need of basic necessities such as food and building materials. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy sits next to a makeshift structure on the beach at Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy sits next to a makeshift structure on the beach at Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A woman cleans up after a service at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A woman cleans up after a service at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Men work to rebuild the roof of a school that was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Men work to rebuild the roof of a school that was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A family navigates debris left by Hurricane Matthew as they arrive for church in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A family navigates debris left by Hurricane Matthew as they arrive for church in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
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Church members praise God during a service at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church. The community's churches provided support to members of the community in the immediate aftermath of the storm as they awaited aid from the government and international organisations. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Church members praise God during a service at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church. The community's churches provided support to members of the community in the immediate aftermath of the storm as they awaited aid from the government and international organisations. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Young Haitians resumed school in Les Anglais two months after Hurricane Matthew. Teachers hung tarps to divide classrooms at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church after the storm destroyed their schoolhouse. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Young Haitians resumed school in Les Anglais two months after Hurricane Matthew. Teachers hung tarps to divide classrooms at Mission Evangelical Baptist Church after the storm destroyed their schoolhouse. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
After homes were destroyed by the storm's strong winds, most walls in Les Anglais are now made from scavenged materials. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
After homes were destroyed by the storm's strong winds, most walls in Les Anglais are now made from scavenged materials. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A family fishes during low tide at the beach in Les Anglais. The storm wrecked havoc for the majority of families in the region who rely on subsistence farming and gathering for their meals. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A family fishes during low tide at the beach in Les Anglais. The storm wrecked havoc for the majority of families in the region who rely on subsistence farming and gathering for their meals. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy stands where a schoolhouse once stood before Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy stands where a schoolhouse once stood before Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
The first crops since the storm - the only economic output for most families - are only now beginning to mature in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
The first crops since the storm - the only economic output for most families - are only now beginning to mature in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Young boys play football while construction on a schoolhouse continues in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
Young boys play football while construction on a schoolhouse continues in Les Anglais. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy poses for a portrait in the doorway where his house stood before Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]
A young boy poses for a portrait in the doorway where his house stood before Hurricane Matthew. [Alex McDougall/Al Jazeera]

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