Build Change Post-Disaster Reconnaissance Report Hurricane Matthew, HAITI Surveyed Oct 25-28, 2016 -

Hurricane Matthew was a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, with sustained winds of 230 kilometer per hour. Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the southwestern tip of the Haitian peninsula near Les Anglais, Haiti, around 6:00 am local time (7:00 am EDT) on October 4, 2016.

Hurricane Matthew resulted in significant damage, including heavy wind damage, storm surge and extensive flooding, in southern Haiti. Storm surge that was 7–10 feet high hit Haiti's Southern Coast and there was also 300-500mm rainfall in Southern Haiti with isolated higher amounts.

Following the hurricane, Build Change Haiti, based in Port au Prince, deployed a small team in the affected zone three weeks after the hurricane made landfall.

It emphasized that technical and financial support for the affected areas is critical to the safe reconstruction, repair and retrofit of damaged buildings to be disaster-resistant, not only to future hurricanes, but also to earthquakes. The strategy for assistance may need to vary based on the region as accessibility and building type varied depending on whether the area was in a city, village or remote rural zone. Technical assistance should be provided in accordance with the applicable standards in order to aim for structures that will be safe in future disasters.