Humanitarian Aid Post Hurricane Matthew (#40) / Pestel, Haiti / by Environmental Humanities Hub

Meridith Kohut, American, born 1983

Humanitarian Aid Post Hurricane Matthew (#40) / Pestel, Haiti, 2016

Meredith Kohut is an American photojournalist who documents events in Latin America. Kohut’s work's primary focus is on documenting economic and humanitarian disasters in addition to photographing how people in these areas are suffering from severe weather events. Kohut’s photograph, Humanitarian Aid Post Hurricane Matthew #40 / Pestel, Haiti, is a high angle shot looking down at a group of individuals in Haiti waiting to receive food aid following hurricane Matthew in 2016. At first glance the image is chaotic with movement and bold color, but when closely examined reveals the faces of concerned, fatigued, and desperate individuals whose eyes are directed to one location. In the center of the photo is a woman with a furrowed brow and restless hands who appears to be unbothered by the disorder around her, potentially exhibiting the need for help in poverty-stricken communities following a life-threatening storm. Label by Elsa Rall