The most powerful Caribbean hurricane in nearly a decade has hit Haiti, bringing 230km/h (145mph) winds, heavy rain and dangerous storm surges.
Hurricane Matthew, a Category Four storm, has led to a number of deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Southern Haiti has effectively been cut off after the bridge linking it to the capital, Port-au-Prince, collapsed.
The UN said the country was facing the "largest humanitarian event" since a huge earthquake in 2010.
At least 10,000 people were in shelters and there were reports of overcrowded hospitals suffering shortages of fresh water, Mourad Wahba, the UN special representative for Haiti, said.
More than 4m children could be exposed to hurricane damage, Unicef said, warning of the spread of waterborne disease.
The deputy mayor of the southern coastal town of Les Cayes described the scene there as "catastrophic".
Deputy Mayor Marie Claudette Regis Delerme said the city of 70,000 people was flooded and many houses had lost roofs. She herself had to flee a meeting when a gust ripped off the building's roof.
Images from Les Cayes showed people walking in shoulder-high water, with relief workers saying that other coastal communities were also under water, including Les Anglais.
Fonie Pierre, director of Catholic Relief Services for Les Cayes, told AP: "Many people are now asking for help, but it's too late because there is no way to go evacuate them."
Officials said they were trying to restore access to Haiti's southern peninsula after the collapse of the La Digue bridge but admitted it would be difficult to find an alternative route.
A number of people were reported to have died in Haiti - one of the world's poorest countries with many residents living in flimsy housing in flood-prone areas - and the Dominican Republic.
One man too ill to leave his home was killed when waves struck in the town of Port Salut.
Haiti's Interim President Jocelerme Privert said earlier that some people at sea or who had not "respected alerts" had died, but he gave no more details.
Four people died after mudslides and wall collapses in neighbouring Dominican Republic.
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