Hurricane Mathew is heading towards Jamaica and Haiti after it stuck Colombia this week, according to weather reports the category four storm will hit the countries on Monday. Citizens have been warned. Shelters were opened, and shops are packed with last minute shoppers acquiring supplies.

On Saturday morning, forecasters announced that the strong storm was heading towards Jamaica and Haiti on Monday, however, citizens will feel the impact of the storm on the weekend. Evaluations on the storm have categorized Mathew as the most powerful hurricane in the Atlantic’s history, strong and high winds of 145 mph have transformed the natural devastation to a category five storm earlier this week.  The hurricane has already caused the death of two people in South America, and specialists have informed the hurricane’s effects would hit Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida this week.

hurricane-matthew
The GOES East satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 at 2:45 p.m. EDT, shows Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean Sea. Image Credit: NOAA via AP

“Some fluctuations in intensity are possible this weekend, but Matthew is expected to remain a powerful hurricane trough Monday,” informed the National Hurricane Center on Saturday.

Warning about Matthew’s effects in Jamaica and Haiti

Weather experts reported on Late Friday Matthew’s strengthening to a category five hurricane, an event that is considered by forecasters. According to the National Hurricane Center, a category five hurricane is regarded as a major case in which “Catastrophic damage will occur.”

The type explains that hurricanes of this magnitude will directly affect homes and destroy them, falling trees and electrical poles are expected as well as power outages for weeks. This is the first time a hurricane this strong has hit the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix on 2007.

According to Weather.com, the hurricane was located around 380 miles south of Port Au Prince in Haiti on early Saturday morning and citizens are expected to feel Matthew’s effects next week.  According to forecasters, the hurricane’s eyewall featured winds of 160 mph.

Jamaica has issued a hurricane watch as well as the coastal areas of Haiti to remain alert for Matthew’s effects that include storm force winds, sometime next week according to forecasters.

Jamaica’s local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, called the hurricane’s arrival a “national crisis” as he alerted local authorities to “go full speed ahead” on the preparations and emergency managements for Matthew’s visit.

McKenzie also informed that homeless people had been moved towards shelters that opened earlier Friday morning as a form of emergency protection.  The minister assured the public that the hurricane represents an “imminent threat” and it’s not “a joke” even though many people in the country don’t believe is coming

“This is a national crisis, and Jamaica is going to go through a rough next 72 hours, ” explained McKenzie in a press conference, as he warned fishers to seek shelter on land.

Citizens have been preparing themselves and buying food and water supplies at stores that opened their gates for last-minute shoppers in Kingston, the country’s capital city. Forecasters are informing the possibilities of 25-inch-rains through the week.

The United States Embassy in Jamaica reported via Twitter, on Friday, that its services would be shut down on October third and forth because of Matthew’s threat

Forecasters had initially informed that the hurricane’s primary destiny was Cuba and then the Bahamas, however, its effects and presence has been felt in different countries such as Colombia and it’s expected in Cuba and different parts of Florida next week.

The hurricane was also present in the Caribbean islands of Dominique, St. Lucia and Barbados with heavy winds of 60mph and a large amount of 3-inch rains that resulted in floodings and the death of a man washed away by the strong waters.

Haiti has also been warned about Hurricane’s Matthew’s presence and has issued a national warning that pledged for protection and safety among citizens,  according to the National Hurricane Center the country can expect rainfalls of over 15 inches.

“Many land areas are at least threatened by the system. Hurricane hunters are going to be flying in and out of Matthew for days to come,” said a National Hurrican Center’s spokesperson.

The hurricane is characterized by its maximums and sustained winds of over 259 kilometers per hour. Forecasters have informed that the hurricane’s presence is expected to last for the next weeks.

Flights have been canceled by IBC Airways to Cuba and to the US. Naval Station, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have warned their costumers about the possible change of fees because of the strong storm.

Source: Weather