More than 1,000 people have died in Haiti as a result of Hurricane Matthew, which hit the small island nation last week. Matthew was a Category 4 storm, battering the homes of thousands of Haitians with winds between 130 and 156 miles per hour. Rescue teams have reported that even concrete buildings and homes along the coastline have been demolished.

By comparison, Hurricane Sandy was only a Category 3 storm — and it cost the U.S. $65 billion dollars in repairs and damages. Sandy was the second costliest superstorm in U.S. history.

“Flooding and contaminated water caused by the storm pose a huge threat to survivors, including thousands of children,” said an aid worker.

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Rising water levels also bring cholera. Haiti has been plagued with cholera ever since the outbreak in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. United Nations peacekeepers brought the disease with them from Nepal and neglected to set up sanitary conditions at their camp. The sewage from their camp seeped into Haiti’s largest river and water source. Hundreds of people died within days, sometimes as many as one in 20 people in a single village.

Cholera has been endemic in Haiti ever since and has claimed more than 10,000 lives in the last six years.

The disease spreads through water and food sources contaminated with human feces, which carry the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Many people who contract the illness show only mild symptoms, but in more severe cases, the disease causes death within hours.

Related: Death, Destruction in U.S. from Matthew

“Right now our biggest concern is cholera, a deadly and highly infectious disease. The number of cases is increasing with every new report,” said Dr. Unni Krishnan, director of Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit in Haiti, in a statement. “Flooding and contaminated water caused by the storm pose a huge threat to survivors, including thousands of children. Clean water and medicine delivered to the hardest hit areas in the next 24 to 48 hours is a key priority.”

Dr. Krishnan added: “Quick decisions and strong leadership can make or break relief operations. Right now, 1 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance. Life-saving measures such as medical aid, clean water, and appropriate information should remain the priority at this stage.”

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Cholera” source=”http://www.who.int”]The acute diarrheal disease can kill within hours if left untreated.|Researchers estimate 1.3 million to 4 million cases, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide each year.[/lz_bulleted_list]

Hurricane Matthew wiped out 80 percent of the infrastructure in numerous cities on the southwest peninsula — Jeremie, Cavaillon, and Port-a-Piment. Jeremie, the largest city in this region, has 31,000 residents, most of whom are now homeless and without safe drinking water. And although the hurricane did not hit the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as hard, most of the people there were still living in makeshift dwellings because of the total devastation of the 2010 earthquake. Many of the low-elevation streets were still flooded on Friday.

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Cholera victims are already flooding hospitals along the coast. Missole Antoine, the medical director of the hospital in Port-a-Piment, said that the number of hospitalized patients with cholera symptoms doubled over the weekend. Villagers in the nearby village Labei have reported corpses floating downstream.

U.S. Marines are on the ground delivering food and aid, as 1.5 million people are homeless and without food and water. Other organizations such as CARE, Save the Children, and USAID are also delivering aid. But if cholera was difficult to contain before the storm, it’s going to be even tougher to eradicate now.

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