Hurricane Matthew death toll climbs to 269 as it tears through Haiti, Bahamas and Cuba

Hurricane Matthew pounded the Bahamas on Thursday on its way to the United States, after leaving behind a humanitarian crisis in Haiti. At least 269 people have been killed so far in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said, with the death toll expected to rise.  Haiti, still recovering from the catastrophic 2010 earthquake which killed hundreds of thousands, was hit hardest with more than 264 people reported dead as of Thursday evening, local time. As the death toll rises and crucial infrastructure crumbles, thousands have been displaced. Mourad Wahba, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Haiti, described Matthew as the "largest humanitarian event" since the earthquake.

Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti on Tuesday but its devastating impact is only now coming to light. At least 1,580 homes have been flooded in the country, and about 3,215 families have been affected by the severe storm, the country's Civil Protection Agency said.
More than 300,000 people are in shelters across the country, the United Nations said.
Haitian pastor Louis St. Germain said the storm sheared a wall off his house and tore roofs off many buildings in the area.

"The river has overflowed all around us," St. Germain said. "It's terrible ... a total disaster."
The powerful hurricane passed over the Bahamas capital, Nassau, on Thursday afternoon, with casualties and damage mostly unknown.