Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti last night, becoming the first Category 4 hurricane to hit the impoverished island nation dead-on in over 50 years.
The GOES East satellite captured this image of Hurricane Matthew approximately 354km southeast of Kingston on October 3rd. Image: NOAA
According to the National Hurricane Center, the “life threatening” storm made landfall around 10:00PM AEST on Tuesday, near Les Anglais in western Haiti. By that time, parts of the country had likely already experienced upwards of 51cm of rain. More torrents today will increase the danger of flash floods, mudslides and surges of 2 to 3m.
#HurricaneMatthew made landfall near Les Anglais, Haiti @ 7 am EDT. First Cat 4 landfall in Haiti since Cleo in 1964 pic.twitter.com/tVPXW6ULCy
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) October 4, 2016
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is about the worst possible place a storm like this could have hit. The country has virtually no government. Approximately 50,000 Haitians live outdoors in makeshift shelters, having lost their homes in the devastating 2010 earthquake. Deforestation has left most of the nation stripped of trees and extremely prone to landslides. Cases of cholera have been on the rise lately, and floodwaters are likely to help the disease spread.
In 2008, a spate of tropical storms and hurricanes — Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike — struck Haiti one after another. All told, the storms destroyed tens of thousands of homes and affected nearly 800,000 Haitians. If history is any guide, things are going to get ugly out there.
People stand watching the surf on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica on October 3. Image: AP
A girl watches as authorities evacuate her house in Tabarre, Haiti, on October 3. Image: AP
Woman in Tabarre, Haiti on October 3. Image: AP
Photos and videos of the hurricane’s impact in Haiti are starting to roll in on Twitter, under #Matthew and #MatthewHaiti.
This river water has come down from the hills of Jacmel, here in Leogane. #HurricaneMatthew #MatthewHaiti pic.twitter.com/CarYU0aDAV
— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) October 4, 2016
?Thomassin, Ouest Dept. #Matthew #MatthewHaiti pic.twitter.com/RBMbq1sYYi
— Max Guybert Lyron (@MaxGLyron) October 4, 2016
Les Cay#MatthewHaiti pic.twitter.com/htMzGrIO7Q
— Karl Lee Berlus (@Karlyhit) October 4, 2016
[National Hurricane Center, Weather Underground, Associated Press]