SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba – On Tuesday night residents of Santiago de Cuba breathed a sigh of relief as Hurricane Matthew was not a repeat of Hurricane Sandy when it made landfall.
Earlier in the day hotels in Cuba were boarding up windows and locals were finding shelters to stay in as Hurricane Matthew approached the island.
Local 10 News reporter Hatzel Vela was in Santiago de Cuba Tuesday and said that the area was only experiencing some breezy weather, but the wind and rain was expected to pick up by the evening.
Santiago de Cuba was not expected to see as much heavy rain as the eastern part of the country, such as the small town of Baracoa in the province of Guantanamo.
Residents of Baracoa have been placed into shelters as the storm nears and many have already prepared to be without power or access to stores for some time following the storm.
State-run radio reported later in the day that electricity will be cut in storm-affected areas at 6 p.m.
