With deadly Hurricane Matthew heading towards Florida last night, two local charities have appealed for the public’s help in providing disaster relief in the Caribbean.

The Category 4 storm, expected to be the strongest storm to hit the United States for 12 years, left devastation in its wake, with some 264 people reportedly killed in Haiti and thousands more displaced. According to international news reports, at least four were killed in the Dominican Republic and deaths were also reported in Colombia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Ann Spencer-Arscott, executive director of the Bermuda Red Cross, said that 350,000 people in Haiti were in need of assistance, 17,750 in Dominican Republic and 319,000 in Cuba.

With the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies pledging to assist 10,000 families over the next 12 months, Ms Spencer-Arscott said the Bermuda charity was also launching an appeal to assist with the disaster relief.

According to the charity, the best way to assist is through financial donations, which allow the Red Cross to purchase exactly what is needed for the disaster relief operation. Purchasing relief supplies close to the disaster site not only avoids delays but can also help stimulate the weakened economy, the charity added.

Hurricane Matthew was a further blow to impoverished Haiti in particular, which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2010.

With the southwest largely cut off after a bridge collapsed, anyone in Bermuda wanting to assist in Haiti can also reach out to Feed My Lambs Ministry.

The registered charity runs an orphanage, school for 700 children and clinic in Montrouis in western Haiti, while also undertaking a lot of community work. While its compound escaped the storm with some minor flooding, founder Phillip Rego said word was reaching them of a greater need in the mountains. “What is happening has shifted my attention from the inside [of the compound] because the need is so great,” he told The Royal Gazette. “I’ll send the team out. We can assess the situation, we can help.”

He emphasised that the priority is medical supplies, food and housing.

And because of the cost associated with shipping goods from Bermuda, monetary donations would be most useful, he said.

However, he added that if enough clothing or other items were donated then the charity would try to pull together enough funds to send a container.

“It really depends how Bermuda responds to this here.”

But he stressed that all funds donated to the cause go to Haiti. In light of the ongoing need for donations at the compound, Mr Rego asked people to specify what the donations are for. With plenty of work still needed on the compound, he also encouraged anyone willing to assist by volunteering to get in touch.

Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared for Florida yesterday, and more than 2 million people were evacuated from Florida to South Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew was due to hit the US last night or early this morning. And last night’s American Airlines flight from Bermuda to Miami was cancelled. The hurricane hit the Bahamas earlier yesterday, although no deaths have been reported. Guilden Gilbert Jr, a Bermudian living in the Bahamas, said the full extent of the damage caused by Matthew would not be known until today.

“We are in Nassau and are secure,” he told this newspaper, adding that while there is no noticeable damage to their home, there is “normal landscaping damage”.

However, Mr Gilden said he had heard reports of people being trapped along the south coast of Nassau due to heavy storm surge, as well as a number of roofs being lost. “We will not know the full extent until tomorrow after all has fully passed.”

• Donations to Bermuda Red Cross can be made to Bank of Butterfield account number 20-006-060-365472-200, by calling 236-8253 with debit or credit card details or stopping by the Berry Hill Road offices in Paget.