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Could Hurricane Matthew Hit The East Coast This Week?

Forecasters said the storm is expected to dump as much as 40in of rain on some isolated areas of Haiti, raising fears of deadly mudslides and floods in the heavily deforested country where many families live in flimsy houses with corrugated metal roofs.

Two deaths have been reported in Haiti, bringing the total number caused by the giant storm so far to at least four.

Hurricane Matthew is maintaining its strength in the Caribbean and is expected to bring high surf and risky rip currents to North Florida. As many as 12 inches of rainfall are expected in Cuba and parts of western Haiti, and up to 10 inches are forecast in eastern Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Charles Bernimolin, the team leader of a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) delegation that had flown into Kingston, remained anxious, despite projections that showed the storm sparing Jamaica the worst of its fury. Fishermen move their boats out of the water before the arrival of Hurricane Matthew in Arcahaie, Haiti.

Matthew is expected to weaken slightly as it passes over the Greater Antilles, but is likely to remain a unsafe "major" hurricane with winds of 120-130 miles per hour after emerging over the Bahamas. But Haitian officials said about 2,000 residents of the La Savane neighbourhood of Les Cayes refused to heed government calls to leave their seaside homes, even though they were just a few miles from where the centre of the hurricane is forecast to make landfall. "Regardless, the [South Carolina] coast will see effects from this storm, even if it stays out to sea".

The chief of police for the southern region, Luc Pierre, said it was nearly impossible to evacuate such a large number of people. "I want to leave any time now and go to a shelter, but we can't leave our things because that's how we hustle and make a living", he said.

Hurricane Matthew was located about 205 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 275 miles southwest of Port au Prince, Haiti, as of Monday morning, and the slow-moving storm is inching northward at about 6 mph.

While a direct hit with the U.S.in the next week is highly unlikely, Florida, especially the Atlantic Coast, is still going to experience rain, rough surf and possibly tropical storm force winds. At least 1,200 people have been evacuated to shelters in churches and schools.

The hurricane centre said the storm appears to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it is too soon to predict with certainty whether it will threaten any spot on the USA east coast.

No need to hunker down just yet - Hurricane Matthew won't reach New England's doorstep for a while, and it's unclear what impact it might have.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba's Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas provinces.

"We have no choice but to prepare ourselves to take a frontal assault, if you will", Culpepper said.

"Wherever that center passes close to would see the worst winds and that's what's projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti", said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the US center.

The U.S. installation has a population of about 5,500, including 61 men held at the detention center for terrorism suspects. Storm surge in the central and southeastern Bahamas could reach as high as 15 feet.

stayontheblack.com

Could Hurricane Matthew Hit The East Coast This Week?