Oxfam appeals for more international support on hurricane-hit island.

Aid efforts in Haiti have ground to a halt after two days of heavy rain, Oxfam has confirmed.

The charity said adverse weather conditions on the island have led to helicopters being grounded, ships moored and access to almost all roads blocked.

Teams on the ground are now calling for more international support to help Oxfam’s emergency response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew.

A spokesman for the charity said the weather could not have come at a worse time for the communities in the west of Haiti – the areas worst hit by the hurricane in early October.

According to local authorities, several hundred people had to take shelter from the rains in a school near Les Cayes, one of the municipalities that sustained the most damage. The rains are also washing away the topsoil, causing more damage to the Caribbean island’s fragile environment.

Damien Berrendorf, country director at Oxfam in Haiti, said: “Haiti’s resilient communities are really being tested. While people have come together to try and restore some sense of normality, these heavy rains are drowning expectations of Haitians being able to rebuild their lives.”

The charity said around 175,000 Haitians are displaced living in 307 temporary shelters, 806,000 people are extremely food insecure and there are 1,421 suspected cases of cholera on the island.

Emergency donations to the Oxfam Haiti appeal can be made on the charity’s website.