- Title: Bahamians assess damage after Matthew
- Date: 7th October 2016
- Summary: NASSAU, BAHAMAS (OCTOBER 7, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS VIEWS OF DOWNED TREES ON STREET AS SEEN THROUGH CAR WINDOW VARIOUS OF BOAT HURLED ONTO STREET AFTER HURRICANE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAHAMIAN RESIDENT, SOUL, SAYING: "I myself was trapped in the storm. Unfortunately, I spent the night in my vehicle, but yes, I guess I'm the type to survive, but it wasn't so bad, but it was bad for many other people losing homes, cars, business, et cetera. About a fifth of the island was badly hit, so it was not too bad. The island being 30 by 10 miles. Not too bad." VARIOUS OF HOUSES UNDER WATER JEEP UNDER WATER VARIOUS MORE OF HOUSES UNDER WATER AS SOUL LOOKS ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAHAMIAN RESIDENT, SOUL, SAYING "Mostly on the coastal lines area, we had a lot of flood damage. Big trees down blocking the streets. Lot of roof damage. Thank God most structures didn't totally fail. But they got badly roof damaged. But roofs will definitely need repair." VARIOUS OF BOAT SITTING ON DAMAGED PIER VARIOUS OF DOWNED TREES SIGN FALLEN OVER VARIOUS OF SAILBOAT DRAGGED ONTO SHORE
- Embargoed: 22nd October 2016 15:30
- Keywords: Matthew Bahamas ruins boats trees devastation
- Location: NASSAU, BAHAMAS
- City: NASSAU, BAHAMAS
- Country: Bahamas
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA001530C5S7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Bahamians were assessing the damage to their archipelago Friday (October 7) after Hurricane Matthew blasted their country the day before. Matthew has already killed at least 500 people in the Caribbean, mostly in Haiti.
Matthew, carrying winds of 140 mph (220 kph), pounded the northwestern part of the island chain en route to Florida's Atlantic coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was likely to remain a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity as it approached the United States, where it could either take direct aim at Florida or tear along the state's coast through Friday night, the center said, warning of "potentially disastrous impacts."
As the storm passed near the Bahamas capital of Nassau, howling gusts of wind brought down palms and other trees and ripped shingles off the rooftops of many houses. Bahamas Power and Light disconnected much of Nassau as Matthew bore down on the town.
The capital also saw downed trees, street signs, and much damage to boats parked along the coast.
It was too soon to predict where Matthew might do the most of its damage in the United States, but the National Hurricane Center's hurricane warning extended up the Atlantic coast from southern Florida through Georgia and into South Carolina. More than 12 million people in the United States were under hurricane watches and warnings, according to the Weather Channel.
A resident of Nassua, Soul, spoke to Reuters about surviving the storm.
"I myself was trapped in the storm. Unfortunately, I spent the night in my vehicle, but yes, I guess I'm the type to survive, but it wasn't so bad, but it was bad for many other people losing homes, cars, business, et cetera. About a fifth of the island was badly hit, so it was not too bad. The island being 30 by 10 miles. Not too bad," he said.
The last major hurricane, classified as a storm bearing sustained winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph), to make landfall on U.S. shores was Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
And Soul explained the extent of the damage on the ground.
"Mostly on the coastal lines area, we had a lot of flood damage. Big trees down blocking the streets. Lot of roof damage. Thank God most structures didn't totally fail. But they got badly roof damaged. But roofs will definitely need repair," he said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday Matthew, the strongest hurricane in the Caribbean since Felix struck Central America in 2007, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mph (225 kph) winds and torrential rain, pummelling towns and destroying livestock, crops and homes. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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