Cuba, Gitmo up next for Hurricane Matthew

MIAMI — The island of Cuba is the next in line as Hurricane Matthew roars through the Caribbean.

The storm will move over the eastern end of the island late Tuesday or early Wednesday, forecasters say. That area is mostly rural, meaning Cubans are doing what they can to protect their homes, farms and businesses from Matthew's rage. People are taping up windows, boarding up doors and, in some cases, even removing their tin roofs ahead of the storm so they don't blow away, according to WPLG TV.

But that corner of the island also includes Santiago de Cuba, the country's second-largest city, and the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

About 700 families were evacuated from the Navy base to Pensacola, Fla., over the weekend as the storm approached. That leaves about 4,800 service members to prepare ahead of the storm and be in place to repair whatever damage the storm brings.

"Stuff is going to get broken by high winds, but that's OK," base commander Capt. David Culpepper said on the local American Forces Radio station Tuesday morning. "The most important thing is that everybody is alive and well and has all their fingers and toes at the end of this event."

U.S. military officials said the remaining 61 detainees held in Guantanamo will also be well protected.

"They're largely kept in solid, concrete buildings...(and) there are plenty of places there where they can be sheltered in place and kept secure," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said.

Just 60 miles away in Santiago, Cuban President Raúl Castro oversaw last-minute preparations as the city readied for its biggest hit since 2012 when Hurricane Sandy made landfall just west of Santiago as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm killed 11 people, according to the National Weather Service, prompting Castro to spend three days there this week to ensure that the city was set.

Castro visited hospitals, spoke with residents and met with military units that were created in each of Cuba's provinces following Sandy that are now responsible for hurricane response. Castro also visited a solar energy plant, where workers have removed 9,000 of the 10,000 solar panels in use there, according to Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma.

The government has been evacuating residents from low-lying areas throughout eastern Cuba and sending them to shelters in Santiago. Nearly 400,000 have been evacuated to shelters or other homes on higher ground, according to Granma.

"After the hurricane has passed we will immediately begin work to recover from the damage Matthew may cause," Castro said.