Rain, wind lash out as Hurricane Matthew bears down on Haiti, Jamaica

Heavy rains from the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew drenched Jamaica and Haiti on Monday, flooding streets and sending many people to emergency shelters as the Category 4 storm approached the two countries. Two deaths were reported in Haiti, bringing the total for the storm to at least four. Matthew had sustained winds of 220 kph as it moved north, up from 210 kph earlier in the day. The eye of the storm was expected to pass just east of Jamaica and near or over the southwestern tip of Haiti on Tuesday before heading to eastern Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

We pleaded with them but they refused so we left some fuel with them. At this point we don’t have the capabilities to return until after the hurricane.

Major Basil Jarrett of the Jamaica Defence Force on efforts to move people to shelters

In Jamaica, more than 700 people packed shelters in the eastern parish of St. Thomas and the Salvation Army said there were about 200 people at its shelters in Kingston as it put out a call for mattresses and cots. Still, many people chose to stick it out. Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said all but four residents of the Port Royal area near the Kingston airport refused to board buses and evacuate.

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