Two fishermen have been killed by rough water conditions ahead of Hurricane Matthew's arrival in Haiti. The Caribbean is currently embracing for the potentially disastrous Category 4 hurricane, which is now responsible for four deaths in the last week. One death was also reported in Colombia and another in St Vincent.
The government previously banned boating in Haiti on Saturday but that didn’t stop some fisherman from hitting the coast to provide for their loved ones.
"They feel they have to take risks to support their families," Johnny Souffrant told the media on Monday.
Matthew is packing 140 mph winds and, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, is expected to bring life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
The storm is also projected to pass through Jamaica and Haiti on Tuesday before heading to Cuba.
Officials said the hurricane may be the first category 3 storm or above to hit the states in nearly a decade.
More than 700 people packed into shelters in Jamaica and nearly 200 packed into shelters in Kingston. Authorities also evacuated nearly 700 family members of the military at the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
"We are looking at a dangerous hurricane that is heading into the vicinity of western Haiti and eastern Cuba," Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist at the center, told The Associated Press.
"People who are impacted by things like flooding and mudslides hopefully would get out and relocate because that's where we have seen the loss of life in the past."
