Canada has allocated $300,000 in disaster relief funds for Haiti, where more than 800 people died and entire communities were flattened as Hurricane Matthew crashed through the country earlier this week.
READ MORE: Why a distrust in aid groups may impact Hurricane Matthew relief efforts in Haiti
The death toll continues to grow as the country cleans up in the wake of the deadly storm. The funds will assist 50,000 people in the impoverished Caribbean nation over the next 12 months.
“The operation will focus on meeting the health, water and sanitation, and shelter needs to those affected by the floods,” the Global Affairs website states.
On Thursday it was announced that the Canadian Disaster Assessment Team (CDAT) had been deployed to Haiti. The CDAT’s role is to meet with local and international officials in order to assess the needs on the ground and identify best follow-up response options for Canada.
The CDAT is made up of three experts from Global Affairs and three Canadian Forces officers, including the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) commander.
READ MORE: Hurricane Matthew: Halifax volunteer medical team heading to Haiti
“Canada stands side by side with Haiti in the wake of this devastating hurricane,” said Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau in the statement.
“We work with experienced humanitarian partners, including Canadian and international NGOs, the Red Cross Movement and UN agencies on the ground, and our teams have been working around the clock to assess the situation.”
WATCH: Hurricane Matthew leaves trail of destruction across Caribbean
In total, Canada has earmarked up to $3 million for Hurricane Matthew disaster relief, which battered the Caribbean on its way toward Florida.
More than two million resident of the U.S. Southeast have been ordered to move inland as the storm sweeps up the country’s east coast.
On Friday it appeared Florida had avoided the worst of the storm, but residents of South Carolina remained on high alert.
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