Haiti is known as the poorest economy in the Western Hemisphere. Despite the devastation from the 2010 earthquake, it started eking out some economic growth. But its progress is now in doubt after Hurricane Matthew.

Image provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti shows the debris left by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie city, Haiti on Oct 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Geffrard Duplessis made his living from cash crops and livestock. Then Hurricane Matthew struck.

“We lost cows, and all of our crops. Nothing is left. And our homes are destroyed,” he said.

The storm hit Haiti’s most productive farmland in the south, where coffee and cocoa provide valuable exports for an economy that had not recovered from the 2010 earthquake. Officials now fear another famine is on its way.

“We need an agricultural campaign as soon as possible, because there is nothing left,” said Louis Paul Raphael, presidential representative.

Food supplies are being distributed as part of an international aid effort, but reaching remote communities is difficult. And now there is a medical emergency.

“We are going to mobilize as much as resources and medical support, to first of all, prevent and stop this cholera epidemic. Then second, support the families of the victims,” said Ban Ki-Moon.

The World Bank says it is too soon to determine the full impact of this latest disaster. But Haiti has been here many times before. In 2008, the combined effect of four hurricanes wiped 14 percent from its economic output. That is nearly a billion dollars, in a country where the majority of people survive on just over two dollars and 50 cents a day.