After massive damage in Haiti and in eastern Cuba, Hurricane Matthew began hitting the Bahamas on Wednesday.

The storm, which killed at least two dozen people in Haiti, has already impacted the southeastern islands of the Bahamas and is likely to affect all islands in the country, the Bahamian government said.

“This major storm, described by meteorologists as a category three or category four hurricane, is on course to impact the entire Bahamas, with potentially serious, and, in places, extremely dangerous consequences for our people and our country,” said Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie.

The Bahamas had already begun ordering evacuations and shelter seeking across the 700-island archipelago and deploying Defence Force teams to provide disaster support.

While Matthew had weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 3 hurricane, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

Hurricane conditions were set to continue over the central Bahamas and spread into the northwestern Bahamas Wednesday night and Thursday, with winds set to gradually diminish in the southeastern Bahamas Wednesday night.

There was particular concern in New Providence, the country’s most populous island, which was bracing for an extreme wind threat.

Some strengthening was forecast for Matthew in the next few days as the storm heads to Florida.

Hurricane warnings remained in effect for:

– Southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island

– Central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island

– Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence

The post Hurricane Matthew Hitting Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Delta has announced it will be waiving change fees for travelers who cancel flights to destinations affected by Hurricane Matthew.

The waivers apply for locations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos and the coastal United States.

The company is also issuing refunds for the unused portion of tickets as a result of flight cancellations or significant delays (90 minutes or more).

That includes flights between Oct. 2-6, and tickets must be reissued on or before Oct. 9, with rebooked travel required to begin no later than Oct. 9.

Affected cities include Kingston, Montego Bay, Georgetown (Bahamas), Nassau, Port-au-Prince and Providenciales.

Click here for more information on the waivers and refunds.

— CJ Staff

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Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti on Tuesday after making landfall in the southwest of the country, causing massive flooding and heavy rains, particularly in the southern city of Les Cayes.

While injury and potential death totals were not yet known, the storm already led to the collapse of a major bridge in southern Haiti.

The landfall in Haiti came as the Bahamas was bracing for a potential impact.

The storm, which the National Hurricane Center called “extremely dangerous,” was also already pounding the eastern tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph on Tuesday evening.

The Bahamas faced the most potential peril, with Matthew expected to move near or over portions of the southeastern and central Bahamas on Tuesday night and Wednesday, approaching the northwestern Bahamas on Wednesday night.

The storm is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through at least Thursday night.

Hurricane warnings remain in effect for:

* Haiti

* Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma, and Las Tunas

* Southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island

* Central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island

* Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence

A Hurricane watch was in effect for the Cuban province of Camaguey, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for the Dominican Republic from Barahona to the border with Haiti, and for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The post Hurricane Matthew Devastates Parts of Haiti, Heads Toward Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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One of the Dominican Republic’s larger tourism hubs is seeing big growth, according to the latest data from Expedia.

Puerto Plata saw growth of nearly 35 percent on Expedia’s platforms in the first half of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, the company said ahead of this year’s Discover Puerto Plata Marketplace.

The destination is one of the country’s all-inclusive poles, although it has cultivated niches in eco-tourism and as a cruise destination thanks to Carnival’s Amber Cove port.

“With an impressive offering of watersports, adventure attractions and colonial heritage, Puerto Plata continues to attract travelers from around the world and is one of the most up-and-coming destinations within the Dominican Republic,” said Demetrius Canton, Director of Lodging Partner Services for the Caribbean, Expedia group.

This year’s Discover Puerto Plata Marketplace is being held Oct. 5-7 at the Iberostar Costa Dorada.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Field Operations has announced that 206 seizures were made of counterfeit products, valued at $1.5 million (MSRP), which were illegally imported into Puerto Rico via international mail.  A wide range of…

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