Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm to make US landfall in more than a decade, has unearthed civil war cannonballs on a beach in South Carolina, officials say.
CCSO Bomb and Air Force Explosive Teams still on scene examining these old civil war ordnance #chsnews pic.twitter.com/al4LHNpnVk
— ChasCoSheriff (@ChasCoSheriff) October 9, 2016
The fierce Caribbean storm slammed into Haiti last week, killing an estimated 1000 people, before sweeping across the south-east of the United States where it caused flooding, damage and widespread power cuts.
A bomb squad was called after the historic ammunition was uncovered on Folly Beach, South Carolina on Sunday.
The first shots of the civil war were fired at nearby Fort Sumter in 1861.
The cannonballs could not immediately be reached because of rising tides but the squad would get to work when the ocean level dropped , Charleston County Sheriff spokesman Eric Watson said.
Residents nearby were warned they might hear a small boom as the area is made safe.
The storm brought heavy flooding to the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina. Photo: AFP / Petty Officer 3rd Class Alexandria Preston / US Coast Guard
In the aftermath of the devastation in Haiti, United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has called for a "massive response" to bring life-saving aid to the country.
Mr Ban said some towns and villages had been wiped off the map, and the UN is mobilising on all fronts to help get the recovery underway.
The UN is appealing for $US119 million to bring food, clean drinking water and shelter to 750,000 people in southwest Haiti.
