Hurricane Matthew hits eastern Cuba

Record ID: 84807

  • Title: Hurricane Matthew hits eastern Cuba
  • Date: 5th October 2016
  • Summary: GUANTANAMO, CUBA (OCTOBER 05, 2016) (REUTERS) ROAD CUT OFF BY BOULDERS AND ROCKS PUSHED BY SEA SOLDIERS WALKING AND ASSESSING DAMAGE ROCKS PUSHED BY SEA BLOCKING ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RAMON ESPINOZA, ARMY GENERAL, VICE-MINISTER OF REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES, SAYING: "Since the phenomenon began last night and it touched land, the areas of Maisi, Imias and San Antonia have been cut off -- not just because of this (roads blocked), but also because the aerial fiber optic which is the one that goes to these municipalities also collapsed last night and, because of that, we still don't know what is going on in these municipalities and what their current situation is." POWER LINES (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RAMON ESPINOZA, ARMY GENERAL, VICE-MINISTER OF REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES, SAYING: "There is quite a bit of damage in Baracoa. We have no reports of loss of life." ROAD BLOCKED BY BOULDERS SEA
  • Embargoed: 20th October 2016 15:19
  • Keywords: Hurricane Matthew storm damage Cuba
  • Location: GUANTANAMO, CUBA/ INTERNET
  • City: GUANTANAMO, CUBA/ INTERNET
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Wind/Hurricane/Typhoons/Tornadoes
  • Reuters ID: LVA00152QC6YV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDIT CONTAINS VIDEO THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in almost a decade, powered toward the Bahamas and Florida early on Wednesday (October 5) after battering Haiti and Cuba with torrential rains and killing at least 10 people.
    The hurricane whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds on Tuesday (October 4), pummelling towns, farmland and resorts.
    Cuban army General Ramon Espinoza said a full assessment of damages has been impossible because there were areas which were cut off by the storm.
    "Since the phenomenon began last night and it touched land, the areas of Maisi, Imias and San Antonia have been cut off -- not just because of this (roads blocked), but also because the aerial fiber optic which is the one that goes to these municipalities also collapsed last night and, because of that, we still don't know what is going on in these municipalities and what their current situation is," he explained.
    Matthew was a Category Four hurricane through Tuesday but was downgraded to Category Three early on Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
    There were no immediate reports in Cuba of deaths, casualties or major damage.
    "There is quite a bit of damage in Baracoa. We have no reports of loss of life," added Espinoza.
    Cuba's government has traditionally made extensive efforts to cope with hurricanes and authorities spent days organizing volunteers to get residents to safety and secure property.
    Matthew thrashed the tourist town of Baracoa in the province of Guantanamo, passing close to the disputed U.S. Naval base and military prison. It was on track to mow over the central and northwestern Bahamas, the NHC forecasts showed.
    Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city, which lies in the southeast of Cuba, was not badly hit, state media said.
    The United Nations has said Hurricane Matthew created the worst humanitarian crisis to hit struggling Haiti since a devastating 2010 earthquake.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register