Haiti - IRMA : Haiti less affected but caution is needed
At 5pm, the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 71.1 West, or 175km to the north-east of Cap-Haitien, given the trajectory Haiti should be somewhat less affected as the system moves away from the north coast of the country, however rains and wind are expected over almost the entire territory.
The Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) informs of the beginning of flooding in Ouanaminthe. In Fort-Liberté, roofs of houses washed away by strong winds. The national # 3 between Hinche Cap-Haitien is blocked by the floods of the Ravine Grand Couime. Heavy rains fell on the northeast. It rains on the North and on the Central Plateau. The Northwest received showers this morning.
Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should continue to move between Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km).
