People walk on a street in Santiago de Cuba, in eastern Cuba, on Oct. 5, 2016. Hurricane Matthew battered the eastern tip of Cuba on Tuesday evening with strong winds, heavy downpours and floods along the coasts of Guantanamo Province. (Xinhua/Str)
HAVANA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Matthew bore down on the Bahamas on Wednesday, after lashing eastern Cuba late Tuesday and through the night.
Though downgraded to a category 3 hurricane as it headed northwards towards The Bahamas and Florida, the storm was still considered "severe" by the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).
"Severe Hurricane Matthew bearing down on The Bahamas and aiming toward Florida," the agency's latest weather advisory said.
In the Bahamas, Prime Minister Perry Christie has been urging residents "to take the threat of Matthew seriously" since at least Monday, the capital's Nassau Guardian daily reported on its website.
The concern is that Matthew is expected to make landfall on the most populated of the Bahamas' 700 islands and islets.
"New Providence, where 85 percent of our population lives, will take a direct hit," Christie warned during a press conference Tuesday, adding "what I'm telling you is get off the coastline."
Cuba's government lifted the hurricane warnings and watches for its eastern provinces.
While still a category 4 hurricane, Matthew made landfall in Cuba at 6 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) Tuesday, in Punta Caleta, in the province of Guantanamo.
With gusts between 200 and 250 kilometers per hour, and heavy rains, Matthew blew the roof off homes, damaged buildings, including the area's iconic Hotel La Rusa, knocked down trees and electric poles, caused coastal flooding and washed away at least one bridge, Guantanamo's main newspaper, Venceremos, reported.
Area residents contacted by Xinhua via cell phone said rains continued in Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba early Wednesday, but the island's emergency response system appears to have prevented casualties.
The U.S. states of Florida and North Carolina have declared a state of emergency, while South Carolina on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of coastal residents.
