PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti _ Haitian interim President Jocelerme Privert warned Haitians Sunday to begin making preparations for Hurricane Matthew, which no longer threatened just the southern peninsula, but all of Haiti.
The heavily deforested nation is at risk not only for mudslides, but also serious flooding that could lead to the loss of lives and damage to homes. There are also concerns about cholera, the waterborne disease that has killed more than 9,000 and sickened more than 700,000 Haitians since it was introduced to the country six years ago.
It's not just cholera that residents are concerned about. Next Sunday's rerun of presidential and legislative elections could also be affected by the storm. One official said the government would decide if postponement is necessary later in the week.
Preparation, Privert said in a national address, cannot wait. He called on those living in houses at risk of collapsing under rain and wind to seek refuge with family and friends, and for those living along the coast to evacuate.
Privert also announced that schools will close on Monday so that many of them can be used as shelters.
"The message we are giving is important. You will have to evacuate all of the areas that represent a danger for you," he said. "The life of every person is important to us."
Workers from the Office of Civil Protection began mobilizing Saturday across the mountainous country in orange shirts, warning citizens of the pending storm. They also were trying to buy hurricane supplies.
Haitian officials said they did not get the same quantity of aid, including hurricane supplies, from foreign donors this year as in previous years. And while they "drastically reduced spending," they remain strapped for cash to address damages if Matthew hits the country hard.
"We will not beg, but we will not refuse either," Interior Minister Francois Joseph Anick said.
Joseph said they had several tons of rice, which had previously been donated by Japan, that they plan to use if need be. There were also water and mattresses in stock. On Sunday morning, France had asked if it could send two surveillance airplanes into Haitian airspace to survey the southern coastlines. The government gave the O.K.
"The biggest threat we have over our heads is water," he said. "When you hear hurricane, it means rain, it means wind, it means the sea rising."
