Four cyclones have hit Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. The combined effects of Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike left 600 dead.
 
Five metre-high tidal waves and 230kph winds blew everything away and deprived the population of basic necessities. Schools and churches turned into shelters, streets into rivers. Hunger and epidemics are now threatening the population.

In the northern city of Gonaives, where independence was proclaimed in 1804, the situation is catastrophic. “I have never experienced this in my life”, said Alain Joyandet, France’s junior minister for overseas co-operation. “In humanitarian terms, it is striking. The words fail me. Where to start? The task is enormous.”
 
The World Food Programme has set up an airlift between the capital Port-au-Prince and Gonaives. Rice, peas and vitamin-enriched oil are distributed – to the women only, to avoid riots. Despite the relief efforts, many have nothing to eat.
 
Cleaning, too, is an urgent task as dirty water threatens the health of Haitians. Once the smelly mud is removed, they will start thinking about reconstruction.