Haiti PM appeals for emergency humanitarian aid after destruction from Sandy

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The Haitian government is calling on other countries and international organizations to provide emergency humanitarian aid after Hurricane Sandy caused major damage to the impoverished nation.

The eye of the storm passed west of Haiti the night of Oct. 24. But its rain-heavy outer bands soaked the southern coast and capital for much of that week, causing many rivers to overflow. Authorities say the storm destroyed 70 percent of the crops in Haiti's south and caused widespread deaths of livestock.

Officials say that as many as 54 people died. The United Nations said that 1.6 million people were affected.

The office of prime minister Laurent Lamothe announced the appeal on Sunday.

The Caribbean country is still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake nearly two years ago.