Hurricane Matthew remained a powerful Category 4 storm Sunday as it swirled across the Caribbean toward Haiti and Jamaica, where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas.
As of 11 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 340 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Matthew is now drifting west at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
A severe inundating storm surge will accompany the rain and wind, threatening to further flood coastal communities.
Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo Bay could bear the brunt of the life-threatening impacts of Matthew.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles.
Two deaths were blamed on the storm as it barreled through the eastern Caribbean and skimmed past the northern tip of South America.
Hurricane warnings are currently in effect for Jamaica, Haiti and the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma, and Las Tunas.
The latest projections show Matthew's center likely to strike the southwestern tip of Haiti on Monday.
Deforestation has greatly increased the potential for devastating floods and landslides on the impoverished country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, and the country's ramshackle homes and buildings are vulnerable to storms.
"Rainfall amounts well in excess of 15 inches will occur in these areas, resulting in life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides, especially in Haiti and eastern Cuba," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey warned.
We will keep you posted.
Comments
Post a Comment