Hurricane Matthew – Haiti braced for imminent catastrophic strike

Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic tropical storm since 2007, is set to make a potentially devastating and catastrophic strike on Haiti, eastern Cuba, and the Bahamas.

Millions of people are bracing themselves for what could be life threatening flash floods and mudslides caused by the Category 4 hurricane which is on course to strike Haiti tonight or Tuesday.

A hurricane watch is in effect in the northwest Bahamas while coastal southeastern US states could feel the effect of Matthew later this week and into the weekend.

Domenica Davis, a Weather Channel meteorologist, said: “This is shaping up to be a devastating blow, especially to places like Haiti and Cuba.”

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned: “While there remains significant uncertainty in the track of Matthew in the long range, the threat to Florida and the southeastern U.S. coast has increased.”

Hurricane watches continue for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cuban province of Camaguey, and have now been extended to include the northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island and New Providence.

The NHC said Matthew, with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph, was “extremely dangerous,” especially as conditions looked right for it to maintain its strength.

Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist for The Weather Channel, said: “It’s kind of a resilient hurricane — it hasn’t really wavered much in terms of its strength.

“It’s a little bit unusual to go 48 hours with a category 4 or 5 hurricane and not to see some sort of fluctuation.”

Haiti, where up to 25 inches of rain is expected,has started to evacuate residents from outlying islands which could be hit by up to 40 inches of rain.

Meanwhile the U.S. Agency for International Development has deployed two disaster response teams to Haiti and Jamaica.

It is not yet known for certain whether the hurricane will head for the east coast of the USA or make its way out to sea.

However Florida governor Rick Scott urged residents to be prepared for “impacts that we have not seen in many years,” if the hurricane hits.

Matthew has killed at least two people so far: a 67-year-old man who was swept away by a stream in Uribia, Colombia, and a 16-year-old boy who was crushed by a boulder on the island of St. Vincent.

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