The death toll stood at seven — three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic — but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north.
The full scope of the damage, both human and material, is still not clear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew’s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.
The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.
“It’s going to be difficult to find an alternative route,” civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin said.
