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A general view shows Turtle Beach in Jamaica during a tour by US President Barack Obama of Midway Atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 1, 2016. Photo: Getty

Hurricane Matthew has been classified as a category 4 hurricane that is on the path to causing severe damage to Haiti. The hurricane, which will also hit eastern Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas before heading to parts of the East Coast, is moving slowly and considered strong and dangerous, The Weather Channel reported Monday.

Hurricane Matthew is expected to remain powerful throughout its time in the Caribbean. On Friday, it briefly became a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest tropical storm since Hurricane Felix in September 2007.

Jamaica should get hit with the worst of the storm early Tuesday morning with winds reaching up to 130 miles per hour. Haiti is expected to feel the wrath of the hurricane around late Monday, or possibly on Tuesday. Cuba will see some activity on Tuesday and the southeast and central part of the Bahamas are expected to get hit with the storm on Tuesday afternoon going into Wednesday night. The south countryside of Haiti is expected to experience the worst of the storm.

Haiti could receive as much as 40 inches of rain, which could cause floods and deadly mudslides to the country where most residents live in poorly built homes, the Associated Press reported Monday. Some residents are expecting the worst from the storm. Serge Barionette who lives in the southern town of Gressier is expecting death.

"Some of us will die but I pray it won't be a lot," he said.

Haiti’s civil protection agency officials reported that there are around 1,300 emergency shelters spread out in the country that can hold up to 340,000 people.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for eastern Cuba, Haiti, the southeast Bahamas and Jamaica. After hitting Jamaica and Haiti, Hurricane Matthew was expected to pass the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay. Around 700 family members of service members have already been evacuated from the base and transported to Florida.

Below are some videos and photos of the effects from Hurricane Matthew.

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