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Hurricane Matthew lashes Haiti, heads toward Cuba
Story highlights
- "It's terrible... a total disaster," a pastor in Haiti says
- Hurricane Matthew is expected to impact Cuba later Tuesday
Are you affected by Hurricane Matthew? If it is safe for you to do so, WhatsApp us on *+44 7435 939 154* to share your photos, experiences and video. Please tag #CNNiReport in your message.
(CNN)Hurricane Matthew pounded western Haiti Tuesday morning, packing powerful winds and heavy rain as it crossed the country.
"The river has overflowed all around us," church pastor Louis St. Germain said. "It's terrible... a total disaster."
St.
Germain, who spoke to CNN on the phone from Les Cayes, Haiti, said the
storm sheared off a wall of his house and tore roofs off many buildings
in the area.
The "extremely
dangerous" storm has already killed at least three people, caused cruise
ships to change course and prompted officials to declare states of
emergency.
And authorities have warned that the death toll could climb.
"We've
already seen deaths. People who were out at sea. There are people who
are missing. They are people who didn't respect the alerts. They've lost
their lives," Interim Haitian President Jocelerme Privert said at a
news conference.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Les Anglais, Haiti, around 7 a.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center. By 11 a.m., it had crossed the country and was back at sea, churning north through the Gulf of Gonave toward Cuba.
Forecasters say the storm, which is moving at about 10 mph, is expected to impact eastern Cuba later Tuesday.
A
threat remains in Haiti even though the eye of the storm has passed.
Ferocious rain and wind were already thrashing the Caribbean nation
before the storm made landfall. And forecasters said Tuesday that
life-threatening flash floods and mudslides were likely.
Up
to 40 inches of rain could be dumped on the impoverished nation, which
is still recovering from a devastating earthquake that struck six years
ago and a cholera outbreak after that.
Les Cayes Mayor Jean Gabriel Fortuné said Tuesday morning that the storm was slamming into his city. He posted videos on social media that showed wind whipping through trees as heavy rains pelted people on the streets.
Eyewitnesses reported streets flooding in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
As Matthew drenched Haiti with dozens of inches of rain, Cuba, the Bahamas and the United States took steps to prepare for the storm's arrival in the coming days.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A
backhoe removes garbage to clear a canal in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on
Monday. Hurricane Matthew is threatening to dump a foot of rain or more
on the Caribbean island.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Nice Simon, the mayor of Tabarre, Haiti, holds a baby as she helps evacuate the Tabarre river area.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
People stock up on food at a supermarket in Port-au-Prince on Sunday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
People carry their mattresses to a shelter in Santiago, Cuba, on Sunday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A worker dismantles a traffic light in Santiago, Cuba, before the hurricane hits.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Residents of Cuba's Holguin Province line up to buy gas on Sunday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Cars are driven in heavy rain in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A worker nails a board to a storefront window in Kingston on Saturday, October 1.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Fishermen pull a boat out of the water in Kingston on Saturday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Haitian
civil protection workers arrive to evacuate residents from the Tabarre
region of Haiti on Monday, October 3, in anticipation of Hurricane
Matthew's landfall. The eye of the Category 4 storm was expected to pass
near southwestern Haiti on Tuesday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
In
this satellite image captured at 4:20 p.m. on Monday, Hurricane Matthew
is seen moving across the Caribbean Sea towards the islands of Jamaica,
Haiti, and Cuba.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Officials urge residents to evacuate their homes in the Grise River area of Tabarre, Haiti, on Monday, October 3.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Clouds loom over the hills of the Petionville suburb of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A girl's umbrella is turned inside out by the wind Monday in Cite Soleil, near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Emergency
Operation Center officials in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,
monitor Hurricane Matthew on Monday as it moves slowly through the
Caribbean Sea.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Cuban families seek shelter from Hurricane Matthew at a university facility Monday in Guantanamo, Cuba.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A group of people take a photo in front of the rough surf produced by Hurricane Matthew near Kingston, Jamaica on Monday.
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A
backhoe removes garbage to clear a canal in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on
Monday. Hurricane Matthew is threatening to dump a foot of rain or more
on the Caribbean island.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Nice Simon, the mayor of Tabarre, Haiti, holds a baby as she helps evacuate the Tabarre river area.
Hide Caption
10 of 17
Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
People stock up on food at a supermarket in Port-au-Prince on Sunday.
Hide Caption
11 of 17
Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
People carry their mattresses to a shelter in Santiago, Cuba, on Sunday.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A worker dismantles a traffic light in Santiago, Cuba, before the hurricane hits.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Residents of Cuba's Holguin Province line up to buy gas on Sunday.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Cars are driven in heavy rain in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A worker nails a board to a storefront window in Kingston on Saturday, October 1.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Fishermen pull a boat out of the water in Kingston on Saturday.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Haitian
civil protection workers arrive to evacuate residents from the Tabarre
region of Haiti on Monday, October 3, in anticipation of Hurricane
Matthew's landfall. The eye of the Category 4 storm was expected to pass
near southwestern Haiti on Tuesday.
Hide Caption
1 of 17
Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
In
this satellite image captured at 4:20 p.m. on Monday, Hurricane Matthew
is seen moving across the Caribbean Sea towards the islands of Jamaica,
Haiti, and Cuba.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Officials urge residents to evacuate their homes in the Grise River area of Tabarre, Haiti, on Monday, October 3.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Clouds loom over the hills of the Petionville suburb of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A girl's umbrella is turned inside out by the wind Monday in Cite Soleil, near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Emergency
Operation Center officials in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,
monitor Hurricane Matthew on Monday as it moves slowly through the
Caribbean Sea.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
Cuban families seek shelter from Hurricane Matthew at a university facility Monday in Guantanamo, Cuba.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A group of people take a photo in front of the rough surf produced by Hurricane Matthew near Kingston, Jamaica on Monday.
Hide Caption
8 of 17
Photos: Hurricane Matthew hits Caribbean islands
A
backhoe removes garbage to clear a canal in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on
Monday. Hurricane Matthew is threatening to dump a foot of rain or more
on the Caribbean island.
Hide Caption
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