In pictures: Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti and Cuba

Boy carries his belongings through devastated Baracoa, Cuba, on 5 October 2016AP

People across several Caribbean nations are assessing the devastation brought by one of the most powerful hurricanes in a decade.

A man clears water from his room in Les Cayes, Haiti, on 5 October 2016Reuters

Hurricane Matthew displaced thousands of people in Haiti. One of the worst hit places was Les Cayes, in south-west Haiti, where the storm made landfall.

Crossing a flooded river near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 5 October 2016AFP

Flood waters were reported to have reached shoulder-height in some parts of Haiti.

Emma Etienne waits to find a doctor to deliver her baby at temporary shelter Hotel Villa Mimosa following Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, HaitiReuters

In Haiti, one woman waits for a doctor at a temporary shelter - she was sent back from the hospital while waiting for her baby to be delivered by caesarean section

Family sit at entrance to damaged home in Les Cayes, Haiti, on 5 October 2016Reuters

Many houses lost their roofs and streets were flooded.

Woman searching through rubbleAP

The storm made landfall near the east Cuban town of Baracoa.

Some banana trees fall along a path in a farm in Guantanamo, Cuba, on 5 October 2016Reuters

Parts of a banana farm in Guantanamo province, Cuba, lie destroyed after the storm passed through.

A man picking items in a supermarket in Nassau, Bahamas,AP

After Cuba, Hurricane Matthew roared towards the Bahamas where people stocked up on food and other essentials in preparation.

A boat sits washed up along the shore after breaking free of its mooring in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew on the island of ExumaReuters

On the island of Exuma, a boat washed up along the shore after tearing free of its moorings.

A man and a woman moving a mattress from a house in South Carolina on 4 October 2016Reuters

Now parts of the US are braced for the storm. South Carolina - where these residents prepared their beachfront home - has declared a state of emergency.

Consumers find the bread aisle at a local Walmart supermarket emptied out in Kissimmee, Florida in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Matthew, on October 6, 2016.AFP

In Kissimmee, Florida, the local Walmart was emptied of supplies as residents prepared for the storm.

Jennifer Miller and her daughter Jubilee rest laying on the floor of a makeshift shelter at the Timberlin Creek Elementary School in St. Augustine, Florida, on October 6, 2016AFP

Jennifer Miller and her infant daughter Jubilee were among those sheltering at a Florida school on Thursday.

Volunteers take care of pets in a makeshift shelter at the Timberlin Creek Elementary School in St. Augustine, Florida, on October 6, 2016, ahead of hurricane Matthew.AFP

Volunteers helped shelter pets in the local elementary school in in St Augustine, Florida.

More on this story