Haitian town struggling months after Hurricane Matthew's strike

Town of Jeremie hit hard by category 4 storm

HAITI ā€“ From the air, Ā the footprint of Hurricane Matthew can still be seen Ā in Haiti.

On land, the town of Jeremie is still standing but struggling in the aftermath of the storm, which struck in October.

The road to recovery never really began in Jeremine, and the mayor says reconstruction hasn't either.

"The storm destroyed everything," Mayor Mayas Francisque said. "Nothing is left."

The mayor took Local 10 News cameras into one of the worst-hit areas.

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"We're going back into someone's house who was really affected by the storm," Francisque said. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā Ā 

Jean Marie Rousseau rode out the powerful category 4Ā  storm in his small home. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā Ā 

He stayed "just because I have cover," he said, "I still get rain inside."

Rousseau said the only thing he saved from the storm was a table.

And near the sea, other homes that once stood in front of Rousseauā€™s house were wiped out.

Jean Baptiste Rose-Andre ran to grab her children's important papers from the house when Matthew made landfall.

She said fast-rising floodwaters forced her to ride out the storm on the floor.

Rose-Andre said she planed to ride out the storm even without much protection.

Victor Cesar, a fisherman, said he lost everything in Hurricane Matthew, including his bed, his boat, his future.

For the town, agriculture had been a lifeline.

But both the coconut trees and farm fields, are now gone after the Anā€™se River flooded over.

"It's important that people don't forget about us," Francisque said. "A lot of people are afraid of the new hurricane season. We don't want to be forgotten. We need help."

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About the Author:

Five-time Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes anchors WPLG-Local 10's 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.