PESTEL, Haiti — Guy Philippe is among the most feared men in Haiti, a nation with a rich history of men worthy of fear.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration wants him for narcotics trafficking; the Haitian government for killing police officers. He led an armed rebellion that ousted a president and has survived, by his count, seven attempts on his life. From his redoubt on the rocky shoreline of southwest Haiti, he has evaded capture for nearly a decade.

Now, Hurricane Matthew has done what neither government nor armed forces have managed to accomplish: bring the outlaw commander to his knees.

“I don’t like to beg, but this time I have to,” Mr. Philippe said, touring the devastation wrought on his hometown, Pestel, an area of some 80,000 people ensconced in a natural fortress of rugged mountains. “It’s the first time in my life I feel I can do nothing for my people. They are starving.”