Posted on 10/02/2016 10:58:37 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine
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 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 340 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Matthew resumed moving northwest at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds increasing to 145 mph. 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.
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. Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane here since Felix in 2007.
After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba late Monday, potentially making a direct hit on the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities said they were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of those serving there. Everyone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman for the base. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention center.
The forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, though that would be several days away. "It's too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman at the Hurricane Center.
In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of a coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be "highly threatened" from the approaching system, and they urged people to prepare emergency food and water kits. Emergency management authorities banned boating, particularly along the southern coastline.
In Jamaica, flooding temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport. Carl Ferguson, head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways. In the coastal town of Port Royal, officials urged residents to seek refuge in government shelters and people in the capital, Kingston, crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water, canned food, flashlights and batteries. "It has been chaos from the morning," said Melain Azan, owner of the Azan Super Centre. Shopper Nardia Powell said she was stocking up because she learned a hard lesson when she was unprepared for Hurricane Ivan in 2004, as were many others. "So, I just want to be on the safe side, right?" she said.
Damage appeared minimal despite flooding in towns along Colombia's La Guajira peninsula. Some officials were even grateful for the rain after a multi-year drought. "Families that evacuated are returning to their homes," said La Guajira Gov. Jorge Velez. "The dikes and wells filled up, the earth is moist, and this benefits agriculture in an area where it hasn't rained for five years, benefiting the community."
I wonder if Hillary Clinton will write Haiti another check..oh wait..the first one never got delivered
Oh boy, good news for the Clintons!
Would the Clintons be so bold as to try to profit again from a Haitian disaster?
Have the liberals blamed this on global warming yet???
I have to research further, but, heard that the past few years have actually been quieter than normal, for hurricanes in the Atlantic.
But global warming theology tells us that we should see more and stronger hurricanes due to global warming.
And global warming theology tells us that some of the hottest years in history have happened just in the last 10 years.
Yet hurricane activity has actually been down. How do the global warming people explain this???
In the last 2 days it has moved .5 degrees north and 3 degrees west. Will wait and see if it makes the turn.
“How do the global warming people explain this?”
a. They don’t have to; no one holds them to task.
b. The science is settled!
c. *SMIRK*
Nooooo! Not Haiti, it will flatten almost nothing
Off topic, but regarding hurricane names.
Hurricanes were originally given women’s names, but starting in 1979 were also given men’s names.
Isn’t the weather service being insensitive with names, in that, they alternate between men’s and women’s names? Aren’t they being “gender binary” in their thinking? Don’t we have to give a nod to the transgender community?
So shouldn’t they use only names which can apply to anyone, such at Pat, Kelly, Terry, etc.; names which could be either man or woman, or easily used by a “gender fluid” person????
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3475550/posts
They can’t, they just rant. We have to call them out as idiots. We aren’t taking the BS any more.
Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but Matthew is already heading NW at 4mph.
The media and the weather gurus have been touting the Haiti, jamaica hit and the right hook for so many days now and on top, the storm was only supposed to be a minimal storm. Now it is close to a CAT 5 and the storm minders can’t get it to cooperate.
Maybe you should turn it off.
No, I like to watch and listen to the forecasters predict with certainty what they think the storm is going to do. I learned a long time ago that storms, especially large ones, get a mind of their own and totally befuddle the forecasters.
Global warming?
They changed the name to climate change because the winters were becoming noticeably colder, not warmer. The implication is that if something changes, it’s man’s fault and therefore coal electric plants need to be shut down.
Why would liberals want to shutdown part of Americas greatest economic strength? It turns out the typical near brain dead liberal doesn’t tie that rapidly rising electric bill with Hussein’s EPA that is destroying a significant part of the US economy. But Hussen Obama does
Now that we know Hussein has been arming Islamic terrorists with US weapons and even training the terrorists, it is not a stretch to call Hussen Obama America’s FIRST Muslim President. Now you can also say Hussein is NOT a champion of the environment, Hussein is simply a Muslim who is working hard to hurt the US in every way he can!
It was also said no one is holding the brain dead liberals responsible for the global warming scam. But someone does understand the power play that is going on. His name is Donald Trump.
Dang! If that near the end of images is true it will go right over my backyard. Yikes!
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