Hurricane Matthew heading north after killing 11 along Caribbean
Powerful Hurricane Matthew which has been blamed for deaths and destruction in Haiti and other Caribbean nations is now on its way toward the United States.
Reports on Wednesday said Matthew was barreling through the sparsely-populated islands of the Southern Bahamas and was set to reach the capital, Nassau, before nearing the Florida coast.
According to current estimates, Matthew has killed 11 during its week-long march across the Caribbean, five of them in Haiti. Forecasters said the high winds of 125 mph (115 kph), pounding rains, and storm surge were already felt in the Southern Bahamas where officials feared significant damage and casualties.
Authorities in Haiti said the hurricane inflicted heavy damage on areas southwest of the country and washed out a key bridge, made the roads impassable and downed phone communications. Government leaders said a remote area of Haiti was hit with 145 mph (230 kph) winds and there was no clear estimate on the number of people killed and the damage left behind. Less powerful storms in the past had killed thousands in Haiti, a vulnerable, flood-prone country.
“What we know is that many, many houses have been damaged. Some lost rooftops and they'll have to be replaced while others were totally destroyed,” Interior Minister Francois Anick Joseph said.
Dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, were also destroyed as Matthew rolled across sparsely-populated tip of the country. Hundreds more houses reported damage but there were no immediate reports of deaths or large-scale devastation.
People were alarmed in the US that the storm, which was passing east of the Bahamian island of Inagua by Wednesday morning, will likely pose a threat to Florida by late Thursday and other areas of the East Coast afterward.
Coastal residents in Florida were urged to brace for the possibility of a direct hit and line up three days' worth of food, water and medicine. An evacuation order was expected in South Carolina by Wednesday, forcing one million people to evacuate the coastal area. The White House said emergency staging areas in the Southeast were being filled with relief supplies. Volunteers were also called in by the Red Cross.
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