Situation
Tropical Cyclone MATTHEW formed close to the island of Barbados on 28 September and started moving west. It passed through the Windward Island (southern Lesser Antilles) on 28 September evening as a Tropical Storm, then it started moving over the eastern Caribbean Sea.
Over the next 48 hours, it is forecast to continue moving west, over the eastern and central Caribbean Sea, strengthening into a Hurricane. Then it is forecast to turn north-northwest and start moving towards Jamaica or Haiti, however the uncertainty of the forecast track/intensity is still very high. According to this forecast, heavy rain and strong winds could affect the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US and British Virgin islands on 29-30 September; and Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba on 1-5 October.
As of 29 September 9.00 UTC, a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Heavy rain and strong winds have already affected the Lesser Antilles over the last 24 hours, causing some damage. As of 29 September, there were two people injured in Martinique and 90 people evacuated in Barbados.
ECHO is in contact with countries, regional authorities and partners, as well as with EU Delegations. Contacts with Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba are increased as these countries might be affected by the Tropical Cyclone’s impact. CDEMA continues to monitor the system. The Regional Coordination Plan has been activated and the Regional Response Mechanism has been placed on standby.
Sources: GDACS, ECHO, NOAA, ONAMET, CDEMA, GEOHIVE, Media