NHC WARNS PREPARATIONS FOR THE STORM SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION

The US National Hurricane Centre has warned efforts to prepare for the storm should be rushed to completion in Haiti and Jamaica, where hurricane conditions will arrive by Monday evening. Jamaica is already seeing flooding related to the storm, which passed around 265 miles southeast of Kingston overnight. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from Matthew’s centre, with tropical-storm-force winds extend outward by up to 195 miles. But it is the heavy rain to the east of the storm’s centre that will potentially pose the greatest threat. Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Americas, is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to deforestation and faces the greatest threat from Matthew. Storm surge related to Matthew is expected to be 7 to 11 feet on the south coast of Cuba east of Cabo Cruz and 7 to 10 feet in the south coast of Haiti. Dangerous surf conditions will continue to be seen on portions of the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean coast of Central America for the next few days.