Matthew reaches hurricane force, one dead in St. Vincent

[WorldNews]

By Sarah Peter CASTRIES, St. Lucia (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Matthew strengthened to a hurricane on Thursday after triggering flooding and landslides on eastern Caribbean islands that killed one person, and was forecast to grow more powerful as it heads toward Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. Packing winds of up to 75 mph (120 kmh), Matthew was about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Curacao and traveling westward, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Matthew whipped through the Caribbean islands of Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Wednesday, shutting international airports, ripping down power lines and trees, and forcing residents into shelters.

Continue reading...