- Title: Hurricane Matthew slams into Haiti.
- Date: 4th October 2016
- Summary: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (OCTOBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF RAGING WATER FROM SWOLLEN RIVER FLOWING UNDER BRIDGE ANOTHER VIEW OF RAGING WATER FROM SWOLLEN RIVER FLOWING UNDER BRIDGE GENERAL VIEW OF FLOODED STREET IN NEIGHBOURHOOD GENERAL VIEW OF RESIDENTS WALKING THROUGH FLOODED NEIGHBOURHOOD TRUCKS DRIVING ON FLOODED HIGHWAY GENERAL VIEW OF STREET THAT HAS BEEN PARTIALLY DESTROYED BY FLOOD WATERS
- Embargoed: 19th October 2016 17:53
- Keywords: Haiti Hurricane Matthew Port-au-Prince flooding weather
- Location: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
- City: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
- Country: Haiti
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA00152LCY13
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The fiercest Caribbean storm in almost a decade slammed Haiti on Tuesday (October 4) with 145 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds and surging seas that flooded coastal towns, killing at least one person and tearing at trees and rooftops before moving out to sea.
The eye of the violent and slow-moving Category 4 Hurricane Matthew passed over the western tip of Haiti, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said, bringing devastating winds, torrential rains and a storm surge with massive waves. The storm was forecast to remain powerful as it made its way to Cuba and the Bahamas.
A hurricane watch was issued for parts of southeast Florida, which the forecasters said Matthew could reach late on Thursday.
As much as 3 feet (1 meter) of rain was forecast to fall over hills that are largely deforested and prone to flash floods and mudslides, threatening villages as well as shantytowns in the capital Port-au-Prince, where heavy rain fell overnight.
The hurricane comes at a time when tens of thousands of people are still living in flimsy tents and makeshift dwellings in Haiti after a 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.
The outer bands of the storm reached the area late on Monday, flooding dozens of houses in Les Anglais when the ocean rose, the mayor said.
Matthew was 35 miles (60 km.) north of Haiti and 90 miles (145 km.) south of the eastern tip of Cuba at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). It was moving north at about 10 miles per hour (17 kph), the hurricane centre said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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