Matthew was in Cuba about six hours before starting to venture into the sea heading north around 2:00 am on Wednesday. Fortunately, it has not reported any human death.
Situation in Baracoa after Mattew: desolate landscape.
Complete destruction in Baracoa, Cuba from a combination of extreme wind and storm surge. Sad situation here. #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/JgUtW0vGjf
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) 5 de octubre de 2016
#Hurricane #Matthew has strengthened a little as of the 11aET advisory, w/ max winds now at 120 mph, moving N. at 12 mph. pic.twitter.com/UwV1ib3Mpb
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) 5 de octubre de 2016
Matthew’s records
Category 4-5 hurricane:
– lasting the longest time in the Eastern Caribbean
– lasting the longest time in October in the Atlantic basin
– the southernmost in the Atlantic basin
Facebook has generated one of its “state of safety verification,” a platform that allows users to share rapidly with friends and family members that they are well and helps them connect with persons. According to the social network, in case of an emergency situation, the state of safety verification helps someone to:
– inform friends and family members that they are well
– confirm the situation of friends and family members from the affected zone and connect with them
– share what you know about the state of a friend or family member
In Cuba it will not be very useful since ETECSA has proceeded to take down antennas and satellite dishes “in a preventative way” to protect the technical equipment and “be able to reinstall it faster and without affecting quality during the recovery stage.” The WiFi services have been affected for more than 12 hours “due to the timely withdrawal of the points of access in many zones to protect them,” said the enterprise’s authorities, appealing to the population’s understanding.
To help its clients to connect with their dear ones during the passage of Hurricane Matthew, the T-Mobile company has freed of all costs the calls or text messages from the United States to the affected areas, including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos. T-Mobile will also drop the roaming rates in the calls and text messages for the clients in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Haiti, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos.
John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, said that their thoughts and prayers were with all those in the way of that powerful storm, adding to please make sure to verify the state of dear ones.
The offer is effective from October 4 to 7 at 11:59 pm. Clients will see regular charges on their bills with the corresponding credits. Subscribers of Metro PCS and Sprint will also be able to communicate with the mentioned countries free of charge.
Pls be safe Bahamas, Bermuda, Haiti, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos. @TMobile custs get free/call texts. #HurricaneMatthew https://t.co/srmo7xmtek
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) 4 de octubre de 2016
Intense and torrential rains are already being reported. The weather continues getting worse in Guantánamo and in Santiago de Cuba. Its entry continues being expected for 5:00 or 6:00 pm, and it should occur between Cajobabo and Guantanamo Bay.
“#Guantánamo set up some 160 evacuation centers, where + than 200,000 persons find refuge” #Cuba pic.twitter.com/UmSUgXLf4X
#Guantánamo habilitó unos 160 centros d evacuación, donde encuentran refugio seguro + de 200 mil personas #Cuba pic.twitter.com/UmSUgXLf4X
— Radio Guantanamo (@RadioGtmo) 4 de octubre de 2016
There will be hurricane winds in Santiago de Cuba, the major part of Holguín and to the east of Las Tunas. On the tropical storm level (of up to 150 kilometers per hour) up to the north of Ciego de Avila. Dr. José Rubiera warns that when Matthew has exited (it is expected that this will happen around midnight), its effects will continue over Cuba, with rain, winds and coastal floods.
Matthew is already 175 kilometers from Santiago de Cuba. Although revealing, the data doesn’t say too much to Frank and his family.
This self-employed worker from the Portuondo district does pay attention, on the other hand, to what his eyes see: the blackened sky, gusts of wind, rains at intervals. And the prospect, according to what he’s just seen on TV, is that the situation will continue deteriorating.
There is still power in his barrio. That’s why he keeps the TV set on while his wife hurries up in the kitchen. He knows that at any time now darkness will take over the landscape. Their house is safe and they trust it will withstand. He only wants the hurricane to pass by fast so he can open up his business again as soon as possible, because it’s been closed for two days.
Reporting from the Institute of Meteorology (11:40 am), Dr. José Rubiera reported that Matthew was 155 kilometers to the southeast of Guantánamo. It maintains winds of 230 kilometers per hour. The pressure has increased to 950 hectopascal. It is moving at 17 kilometers per hour, and the velocity of its movement has increased.
Its center should touch land in Cuba between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. The exit through Holguín should occur between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, with which it would remain some 5 hours on national territory. The last warning forecasted an increase in the rains, with between 200 and 300 millimeters of accumulated rainfall, and this could be higher in some localities and mountainous zones.
Coastal floods are expected with between 9- and 10-meter-high waves. They will be strong on the southern coastline of the country’s eastern region, not just Guantánamo, Rubiera pointed out. On the northern coast there will also be floods from Camagüey. The Gulf of Guacanayabo can suffer slight to moderate coastal flooding, but this should not be underestimated since it is a low-lying zone where there are many human settlements close to the sea.
Matthew, a category 4 hurricane – the strongest formed in the Caribbean in the last 10 years – touched land today in Haiti. At 9:00 am today its center was estimated by the Gran Piedra radar at 188 kilometers to the southeast of Guantánamo, moving at 15 kilometers per hour. Its maximum sustained winds are 230 kilometers per hour, with stronger gusts.
RadioBaracoa:
There are already more than 31,000 evacuees in Baracoa, in 62 centers conditioned for this. The figures continue growing by the minute, while Matthew approaches….
The tropical storm force winds started being felt this morning in the south of Cuba’s eastern region, the hurricane winds of more than 120 kilometers per hour will begin starting the end of the afternoon. The weather conditions have started to deteriorate.
Baracoa, Guantánamo, this morning:
According to Russia Today, four persons have died in the Dominican capital as a consequence of the hurricane, the country’s Emergency Operations Center reported. A 55-year-old man and a five-year-old child died when one of the walls of their houses collapsed in the sectors of La Puya and Manoguayabo, respectively.
“On video, the Head of the Medical Mission gives update on situation of Cuban collaborators on #Haití” https://t.co/m0rlD9RaOT #MatthewEnCuba
En video, Jefe de la Misión Médica actualiza sobre situación de colaboradores cubanos en #Haití https://t.co/m0rlD9RaOT #MatthewEnCuba
— Radio Guantanamo (@RadioGtmo) October 4, 2016
Two other minors died as a consequence of collapses caused by the rains. The meteorological phenomenon has led to the displacement of 18,545 persons throughout the country, EFE news agency indicates citing the Emergency Operations Center.
Esperanza is 58 years old and lives in Vista Alegre, one of the most famous districts of Santiago de Cuba. But now the threat of Matthew has forced her to evacuate. Her big house, formerly splendorous, could suffer with the strong winds of the hurricane. That’s why she has protected herself and her family in a modest building in the Rajayoga district. The view, it is true, is not the most stately, but safety is well-worth the temporary move.
Surrounded by her siblings and nephews, Esperanza prays to all the saints for her house to withstand, with a plate of hot soup in her hands. The memory of Sandy is fresh in her mind:
More than 200,000 Santiago de Cuba inhabitants wait outside their homes for Matthew to hit. An organized evacuation has taken the inhabitants of the coastline to shelters and centers housing them in educational institutions like the Vocational Art School, the Polytechnic Institute of Electronics and the Sports Initiation School (EIDE). The inhabitants of the San Pedrito district, who were waiting for their new apartments to be handed over, have also been moved to other safe places. Thousands of persons whose housing is vulnerable are also in the homes of relatives and neighbors.
The figure increases as the hurricane approaches….
In the most recent report from the Institute of Meteorology (11:40 am), Dr. José Rubiera reported that Matthew was 155 kilometers to the southeast of Guantánamo. It has maintained winds of 230 kilometers per hour. The pressure has increased to 950 hectopascal. It is moving at 17 kilometers per hour, and the velocity of its movement has increased.
Its center should touch land in Cuba between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. The exit through Holguín should occur between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, with which it would remain some 5 hours on national territory.
Coastal floods are expected with between 9- and 10-meter-high waves. They will be strong on the southern coastline of the country’s eastern region, not just Guantánamo, Rubiera pointed out. On the northern coast there will also be floods from Camagüey. The Gulf of Guacanayabo can suffer slightly moderate coastal flooding, but this should not be underestimated since it is a low-lying zone where there are many human settlements close to the sea.
Matthew, a category 4 hurricane – the strongest formed in the Caribbean in the last 10 years – touched land today in Haiti. At 9:00 am today its center was estimated by the Gran Piedra radar at 188 kilometers to the southeast of Guantánamo, moving at 15 kilometers per hour. Its maximum sustained winds are 230 kilometers per hour, with stronger gusts.
The tropical storm force winds started being felt this morning in the south of Cuba’s eastern region, the hurricane winds of more than 120 kilometers per hour will begin starting the end of the afternoon. The weather conditions have started to deteriorate.
Baracoa, Guantánamo, this morning:
This is the most recent forecast:
Hurricane Matthew Cat 4
Position: 17.9°N-74.4°W
Max Winds: 230 km/h
Pressure: 934 HPA
Mov: North, 15 km/h
National Forecast Center, INSMET
October 4, 2016 6:00 am
In the face of the proximity of Matthew, more than 1,200 tourists who were staying in Cuba’s eastern region have been evacuated in hotel installations of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, in the province of Ciego de Avila.
According to Ministry of Tourism sources, in the next hours the figure should increase with the arrival of other groups of foreign vacationers staying in areas of possible impact by the meteorological phenomenon.
The Jardines del Rey destination, to the north of Ciego de Avila, with more than 7,000 rooms in four- and five-star hotels, has the necessary conditions to welcome the evacuees without affecting their comfort.
Boarding up at Hotel Melia in Santiago #Cuba ahead of Hurricane #Matthew. I’m heading to Guantanamo. See you later on @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/pZdBuFb9gQ
— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) 3 de octubre de 2016
The social networks are full of information messages about Matthew’s lying in wait.
From its Facebook profile, Radio Baracoa keeps its cyber readers up to date and offers itself as a communication bridge:
Good morning again friends!
Everyone who wants to send a voice or text message to family members or friends can do so through this means. We were out of the web for some minutes, since we no longer have power; we are working with the power generator unit. Health and luck to all.
Also from Facebook, journalists and communicators are also giving updates about the weather’s deterioration in the Cuban cities in which the hurricane could make the greatest impact. The journalist from the Cuban Television News System, Cusco Tarradell, affirmed from Santiago de Cuba that “There have been no strong rains or winds in the early morning hours or at dawn. The Hero City breathes absolute calm. A day of bearable heat and completely cloudy….
“At 9:00 am, the center of Matthew was estimated, according to the radar of Gran Piedra, at 18.5 degrees latitude north and 74.2 degrees longitude west, position that places it in the proximity of Cabo Tiburón, on Haiti’s southwest tip, some 188 kilometers to the south-southeast of Guantánamo, 236 kilometers to the south-southeast of Santiago de Cuba.
In Twitter @ETECSA_Cuba calls for dialing 118 to report the fall of posts, cables or other elements of the telecommunications network #Matthew.
“During recent hours Matthew has maintained little change in intensity and its maximum sustained winds are 230 kilometers per hour, with stronger gusts, which is why it continues being an intense category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of a maximum of five. Its central pressure remains at 934 hectopascal.”
In Guantánamo, Lilibeth Alfonso Martínez reported that “In Maisí and Baracoa it is already raining and in Baracoa there is slight sea flooding.”
Radio La Voz del Sol reported: Rains and winds increase in Maisí in the face of the eminent passage of Hurricane Matthew
The press is also activating communication bridges. Santiago de Cuba’s Sierra Maestra newspaper reported that the territory’s radio hams are already prepared in the face of the threat of Matthew. Journalist Ángela Santisteban Blanco highlighted that the radio hams activated the emergency network in each municipality of the eastern province and are present in 82 Defense Zones.
“To guarantee communications we have four repeaters – in the Gran Piedra, Guamá, Palma Soriano and one in the city of Santiago de Cuba – which are guaranteeing power service. “If the force of the wind downs the antennas, in the Piedra there are two comrades working as human repeaters, to maintain this vital service.
Authors
OnCuba Staff,
OnCuba editorial staff
