Hundreds of civilians are dead, homes are left to pieces and whole cities seemed to have disappeared under debris and water. The culprit? Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm that first hit the Caribbean, then traveled up to the southeast tip of the United States.

Hurricane Matthew gained speed and momentum in the Atlantic Ocean, rapidly turning from a tropical storm into a massive category 5 storm that was heading straight for the eastern Caribbean.  The Hurricane first struck Haiti with 145 mph winds as a category 4 storm on October 4th; it’s reported that the death toll exceeded over 800 and is still rising. “It’s extremely scary to think nature has this effect on how humans live. Our everyday lives can be ruined if the storm is so powerful,” said Angelica Papadatos, sophomore.  The massive storm not only affected Haiti, but also the Bahamas, Cuba, and the United States. The storm dialed down to a category 2, but it still caused a sufficient amount of damage as it continued up its destructive path on east coast of the U.S. On October 7th, the typhoon struck Florida, then traveled up the United States, stopping at North Carolina on October 9th.

After leaving multiple nations in rubble, Hurricane Matthew announced as a post- tropical storm on October 9th. Hurricane Matthew veered off back into the ocean on October 12th, disappearing from sight. Data and information are still being collected on the storm; scientists and other important figures are trying to learn how to prepare better for another huge storm or natural disaster in the future.  “I’m going to see if I could donate or help out organizations to help those in need from the storm because they all lost everything so suddenly. It isn’t fair if I don’t do something,” Riya Patel, sophomore. She is one out of hundreds of people who want to aid those in need from the storm.

Hurricane Matthew has been the first storm to cause the most damage and devastation since super-storm Sandy.  It’s estimated that Hurricane Matthew caused at least $10 billion in damages in the United States.  Thousands of citizens are left without homes and electricity up the coast. The death toll in the Unites States is 39, with 20 of the deaths in North Carolina.