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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, home to about one million residents, has resumed its bustling pace as the country strives to recover from the devastation of last week's Hurricane Matthew.
The category 4 hurricane claimed 473 lives, according to the latest official death toll, and left 150,000 people homeless, mainly in the southernmost part of the country.
Like the 2010 earthquake that leveled much of the capital, the hurricane has put a spotlight on Haiti's impoverished economy and fragile infrastructure.
Capital residents eke out a living selling what they can. Overpopulation and lack of potable water lead to the common sight of groups of people filling buckets or other containers with water from open-air basins, raising the risk of the spread of diseases such as cholera, which has already killed thousands in Haiti since an outbreak followed the quake.
Public transportation in Haiti has never been sufficient or efficient, so residents often cover lengthy distances on foot.
The number of people in the streets is clear evidence of the high rate of unemployment that affects Latin America's poorest country.
The expression on many faces reflects suffering, and the distracted look of those who have no work and are willing to accept errands or menial jobs for small compensation.
Haiti's gross domestic product is just barely more than 8.7 billion U.S. dollars, 25 to 30 percent of which is estimated to have been lost in Hurricane Matthew.
