BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) says it placed a number of regional response teams on standby to assist Haiti and other Caribbean countries hit by Hurricane Matthew.

“CDEMA continues to receive regular situation reports from Haiti as well as updates from The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands, which are also threatened by Mathew. The Regional Coordination Plan (RCP) remains activated and a number of our specialised regional response teams are currently on standby,” said CDEMA Excutive Director Ronald Jackson.

Matthew, the most powerful Caribbean hurricane in nearly a decade, left thousands of people displaced in Haiti, devastating parts of the country, and has now moved off the north-eastern coast of Cuba towards Florida where warnings are in place.

Matthew, which at one stage was a Category Five storm, has left some of its power and was a Category Three storm yesterday as it headed for the US east coast.

Haitian officials confirmed that at least 10,000 people were in shelters, while the UN special representative for Haiti, Mourad Wahba, said there were reports of overcrowded hospitals suffering shortages of fresh water.

The collapse of a bridge cut off the only link between the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the southern part of the country, and officials admitted it would be difficult to reach the region.

In the port town of Les Cayes, with streets flooded and many houses without roofs, Deputy Mayor Marie Claudette Regis Delerme said.

Interim President Jocelerme Privert said earlier that some people at sea or who had not “respected alerts” had died, but he gave no more details.

CDEMA said Haiti has been experiencing severe flooding and that the Civil Protection Directorate in Haiti has reported that Matthew has so far seriously impacted the South and Grand-Anse regions.

It said that thousands of people were in shelters and 425 prisoners had been evacuated to safer locations. Schools and airports remain closed and maritime transportation has been suspended.

“The overall aim is to ensure that relief and response support is provided to the impacted State shortly after the all-clear has been given. The targeted time of providing the support is within three days of the all-clear”, said CDEMA’s programme manager, preparedness and response, Joanne Persad.

“CDEMA along with its partners stand ready to provide assistance to any of its participating states upon their request,” she added.

CDEMA said that while Jamaica has been spared the brunt of Hurricane Matthew, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) along with the Parish and Sector EOCs remain activated. Assessments of the impacts are being undertaken, including ongoing distribution of relief supplies and clearing of blocked roads.

The NEOCs and District EOCs are also activated in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands in anticipation of Matthew, which was projected to impact these islands yesterday through today. Evacuation of the elderly and people with disabilities has started in The Bahamas.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that strong winds, heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge had started to spread over The Bahamas.

Matthew was 65 miles north-north-west of the eastern tip of Cuba early yesterday and had sustained maximum winds of 125 miles per hour.

The NHC said that Hurricane Matthew was expected to turn towards the north-northwest yesterday, followed by a north-west turn last night.

“Matthew will be moving across The Bahamas through Thursday, and is expected to be very near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening,” it said, warning that ”some slight strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days”.