Cars block roads, while pedestrians struggle through knee-deep, swirling torrents. Before hitting the East Coast of the USA, Sandy drenched the southern part of Haiti, along with the capital Port au Prince.

The authorities say 70 percent of crops were destroyed and livestock lost. Rivers overflowed, making the already-difficult daily life a virtual impossibility.

At least 54 people died and the UN estimates 1.6 million have been affected.

Haitian Prime Minister Laurence Lamothe has reiterated an appeal for emergency international humanitarian aid to help his stricken country.