Hurricane Matthew drenches Haiti and Jamaica with heavy rain
PORT-AU-PRINCE- Heavy rains from the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew drenched Haiti and Jamaica on Monday, flooding streets and sending many people to emergency shelters as the sprawling Category 4 storm steamed toward the two Caribbean countries.
Matthew had sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) as it moved north, up from 130 mph (210 kph) earlier in the day. The center was expected to pass near or over the southwestern tip of Haiti Tuesday morning before heading to eastern Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
"We are looking at a dangerous hurricane that is heading into the vicinity of western Haiti and eastern Cuba," said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist with the center. "People who are impacted by things like flooding and mudslides hopefully would get out and relocate because that's where we have seen loss of life in the past."
