Hurricane Sandy sweeps across Haiti, causes 54 deaths

Hurricane Sandy caused 54 deaths in Haiti as it made its way towards the eastern U.S., the Star Tribune and New York Times reported Wednesday.

Twenty-one people in Haiti are still unaccounted for, according to the Star Tribune.

More than 20 inches of rain drenched Haiti over four days last week, according to the New York Times. The Haitian government said that the storm damaged the homes of as many as 200,000 people. The Haitian president, Michel Martelly, declared a monthlong state of emergency, according to the Star Tribune.

The storm has caused more than 60 deaths in the U.S. and Canada, according to the New York Times, and 71 in the Caribbean, according to the Star Tribune.

Hurricane Sandy reached hurricane status on Oct. 24, according the New York Times. It made landfall in Haiti as a Category 2 hurricane.