Message: Hurricane Matthew is expected to remain a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it bears down on Hispaniola and Jamaica. Matthew is moving in a northerly direction over the Caribbean Sea.

• A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Haiti, Cuba, parts of Central Bahamas which includes Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island and South Bahamas which includes the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island.
• A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Central Bahamas, including.
• A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Jamaica*, the Turks and Caicos Islands, North Bahamas and the Dominican Republic from Barahona westward to the border with Haiti. (*At 5:00 p.m. EDT, 2100 UTC, the government of Jamaica has discontinued the Hurricane Warning, and has replaced it with a Tropical Storm Warning for the entire island.)

EVENT:
Hurricane Matthew, the 5th named hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season, was formed near the Windward Islands on September 28, 2016. As a Tropical Storm, Matthew impacted Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Wednesday September 28, 2016.

On Monday, October 3, 2016 at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC), Hurricane Matthew was located near latitude 16.3o North, longitude 74.7o West, approximately 275 miles (440km) SW of Port-auPrince, Haiti and approximately 205 miles (330 km) SE of Kingston, Jamaica.

PROGNOSIS:
Reports from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (225 km/h) with higher gusts. The vertical shear is not forecast to become much stronger while Matthew is in the Caribbean, so the hurricane should remain near Category 4 status for the next 24-36 hours. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). Matthew is forecast to produce in excess of 300 mm (11 inches) of rainfall, of which higher amounts are expected to precipitate over Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Hurricane Matthew is moving toward the north near 7 mph (11 km/h).

NATIONAL ACTIONS:
North Western-Caribbean Participating States
The CDEMA CU maintains contact with the National Disaster Offices (NDOs) of Jamaica, Haiti, Turks & Caicos Islands and the Bahamas regarding their preparations for the impact from Hurricane Matthew. The Governments of these countries have been briefed and preparation activities are ongoing.

Haiti Hurricane Matthew remains a serious threat to Haiti. The National Emergency Operational Center (NEOC) in Haiti has been fully activated as of October 1, 2016, by the Civil Protection Directorate. The Emergency Operational Centers (EOCs) in the 10 departments of the country are fully activated and Mayors, who are the head of Civil Protection at the Municipal level, continue to strengthen their preparatory activities and to monitor and manage the developing situation in their municipalities. Radio communications among the NEOC, the EOCs in the departments/municipalities and other key disaster stakeholders have been tested. The Shelter Team/Evacuation Coordination Unit has been activated. Two islands in the southern region (Ilet a Brouee and Caille a l'eau) have been evacuated.

Two hundred and thirty-four (234) shelters have been opened throughout the country. The Ministry of Education has declared that schools will remain closed until Tuesday October 4, 2016 pending further updates. The National Office of Aviation has advised that the Airport will remain closed until Wednesday October 6, 2016, pending further updates. The Office of Maritime Transportation has restricted maritime traffic.

On Sunday, October 2, 2016, the President of the Republic of Haiti, accompanied by other members of the Government, addressed to the nation on the imminent impact of Hurricane Matthew.

One death has been reported in the municipality of St Jean du Sud and one person has been reported missing in the municipality of Aquin.

The National Meteorological Center has declared a Red Alert. They continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the Civil Protection Department and the Press.

Eastern-Caribbean Participating States
The island states impacted by the passing of Tropical Storm Matthew- Barbados, Dominica and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and Saint Lucia- have deactivated their NEOCs. However damage assessments continue within the impacted sectors.

REGIONAL ACTIONS:
The Regional Coordination Plan (RCP) remains activated and the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) continues to be on standby. The CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU), the CARICOM Disaster Assessment and Coordination (CDAC) team, the Rapid Needs Analysis Teams (RNAT), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams and CARICOM Operational Support Team (COST) remain on alert for the impending threat of Hurricane Matthew on the North Western Caribbean.

The CDEMA CU has initiated the following actions:

• Maintained regular contact with threatened Participating States (Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos Islands).
• Updated and shared an Operational Scenario and Plan for ‘Hurricane Matthew’ for States threatened in the North Western Caribbean. Preliminary impact assessments based on current population data and projected/actual impact were presented for the North Western PSs.
• Conducted a briefing on Monday, October 3, 2016 with the RRM partners in the NorthWestern region. Another briefing will be conducted on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
• Regional response teams are on alert - CDRU, CDAC, COST, USAR and RNAT. An executive request was sent out by CDEMA CU to the PSs seeking personnel with technical expertise adept for deployment in any emergency or disaster environment.
• Discussions with the Sub-Regional Focal Points (SRFPs) on potential initial support i.e. Trinidad and Tobago - SRFP (Southern), Barbados – SRFP (Central) and Antigua - SRFP (Eastern). Available support to include marine assets, human resources for deployment, security, Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, Regional Warehouse stocks and initial dispatch of humanitarian aid;
• Discussions with regional and international partners on potential areas of support to any impacted Participating State.

Partners in the North-Western Caribbean have initiated the following actions:

• International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) has activated its Contingency Plan, and pre-positioned staff in Haiti and Jamaica. The IFRC regional and global response teams have been placed on alert and a Plan of Action is being drafted.
• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed its United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) members to Haiti and Jamaica. Seven (7) UNDAC Team members arrived in Port au Prince on Sunday, October 2, 2016; two (2) will remain to support NEOC operations in Port-au-Prince and five (5) will be stationed at the department EOC in the Southern region. Seven (7) UNDAC Team members have arrived in Jamaica.
• Regional Security System (RSS) has made contact with Military and Police Chiefs. The CARICOM Battalion and the RSS Airwing remain on alert.
• The Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) has 7 persons on the ground in Jamaica; 3 persons were pre-deployed to the Bahamas on Sunday, October 2nd; 15 persons have been pre-deployed to Haiti and three additional persons are on standby to support public health and medical needs.
• World Food Programme (WFP) has activated measures for preparedness.
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID) / Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has strengthened its representation in Bahamas, and Jamaica and has a team in Haiti. OFDA has also confirmed its arrangements for providing support to the RRM through aerial reconnaissance.
• European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) is actively monitoring the system and is prepared and ready for deployment.
• The British Guard Ship, RFA Wave Knight, is standing ready to support the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) should the need arise. The ship is manned with an able crew and resources to facilitate response and relief efforts. Should TCI, or any of the other British Overseas Territories not require the assistance of the Guard Ship, their response and relief efforts will be made available to another impacted PS upon request.
• Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) has reached out to the National Water Commission (NWC) of Jamaica offering their support.
• Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has pre-deployed personnel in Kingston, Jamaica and Port au Prince, Haiti. They will represent GAC in national level donor coordination meetings and post impact discussions.
• The Department for International Development (DFID) has pre-deployed 2 persons in Jamaica and 4 persons in Haiti.

CDEMA continues to monitor the system and provide updates as necessary.

CONTACT DETAILS: The CDEMA CU 24-hour contact number 1(246) 434-4880