Hurricane Matthew pummels Haiti and Cuba, evacuations ordered in U.S.
Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean’s worst storm in nearly a decade.
Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week.
The death toll stood at seven — three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic — but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north.
The full scope of the damage, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew’s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.
The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.
Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.
The storm’s eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 km per hour, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
Americans girded for a taste of nature’s fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.
Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University.
It is expected to move past Cuba during the night.
Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east — but no casualties so far.
The authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.
It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers.
The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend to Florida from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba’s eastern tip.
Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency.
President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
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Source:The hindu
