Haiti And Other Caribbean Nations Brace For Monster Storm

Hurricane Matthew on Monday afternoon was just hours away from delivering what might be a catastrophic blow to Haiti. There hasn’t been a storm this strong to hit the country since 1954. Matthew, currently characterized as a Category 4 hurricane, was about 275 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital, by midday Monday, and moved at about 130 miles per hour. It should be making landfall in Haiti sometime late Monday. The Dominican Republic ― which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti ― Jamaica and eastern Cuba are also preparing for life-threatening rains. Rough waters in the lead-up to the storm have already killed two fishermen in Haiti, The Associated Press reported. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the country will see 15-25 inches of rain. “A lot of Haiti is deforested,” hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen told The Huffington Post. This increases the likelihood of deadly flash floods and mudslides.  “All that water will be coming down fast, racing down mountains,” he said. A second concern is storm surge. Water on the east side of the island could rise 7 to 10 feet above dry ground, Feltgen said. “If you stand at 6 feet tall you’re looking at 4 feet of water above your head,” he said. “And add on all of the waves being driven from the hurricane, it’s even higher than that.” #Matthew currently has max winds at 130 mph, moving n...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news