Number of People Evacuated in Cuba Due to Hurricane Matthew Grows Nearly to 1Mln

Not less than 899,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday from the eastern region of Cuba to minimize possible negative effects of approaching hurricane Mathew, Telesur television channel reported.

Earlier reports emerged on Tuesday that a large-scale evacuation started in Cuba as the hurricane Matthew was approaching the southern part of Cuba’s eastern region. Up to 316,000 people were evacuated from Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas provinces.

Matthew made landfall on Haiti’s west coast on Tuesday morning as a Category 4 storm, meaning it had sustained winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour (209 to 251 kilometers per hour). It is expected to also hit Cuba and the Bahamas.