Hurricane Matthew barrels towards Bahamas after striking Haiti, Cuba

Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal residents prepared to escape the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week.

In Haiti, severe flooding and devastating winds caused untold damage to the Americas' poorest nation, where officials were still largely unable to communicate with the country's hard-hit south, where telecommunications had been disrupted.

Meanwhile the collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti, compounding the isolation caused by the storm.

Matthew's overall death toll stands at nine -- five in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic -- but is certain to rise as the storm bruises its way north.

A partial assessment of the damage in Haiti that excluded the department of Grande Anse, which was in the direct eye of the storm, indicated that 14,500 people had been displaced and 1,855 homes flooded. Those numbers were expected to increase dramatically once communication is reestablished with the area.

Officials reported one person missing and around 10 injured so far in Haiti, where forecasters say hurricane conditions are still affecting the northwest portion of the country.

Next in line, Cuba was hit late Tuesday afternoon when Matthew made landfall on its eastern tip.

The storm's center has since moved northeast of the island, and is heading north at 17 kilometers (10 miles) per hour towards the Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center said.

"Strong winds, heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge (are) beginning to spread over the Bahamas," the NHC reported in its 0900 GMT bulletin, downgrading Matthew to a Category Three storm.

Americans meanwhile girded for a taste of nature's fury, with Matthew forecast to strengthen again over the next couple days.

Florida and South Carolina as well as parts of North Carolina and Georgia have declared states of emergency. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland.

"It's not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours," South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. "If you can leave early, do that."

- 'Extremely dangerous' -Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak Tuesday as an "extremely dangerous" Category Four storm -- the maximum is five -- near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the NHC said.

It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti.

Even before making landfall on the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola -- the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic -- Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti. Two additional deaths have since been reported, with fears that the toll could climb.

Four deaths have been reported in the Dominican Republic, where officials said 200 homes were damaged.

The storm is expected to move across the Bahamas through Thursday and near the coast of Florida Thursday evening, the NHC said.

Matthew was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas, and has been blamed for triggering mudslides.

The key port of Les Cayes, the country's third city is "very seriously damaged," said Hervil Cherubin, Haiti director for the aid group Heifer International. "Most roofs of houses, shops, gas stations are all gone."

"Businesses near the ocean have totally disappeared, washed away," he added, with farms having "disappeared" and livestock been killed.

The country is home to almost 11 million people, with thousands still living in tents after the massive earthquake in 2010. 

Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

More than 9,000 Haitians were evacuated to temporary shelters at schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.

Schools will remain closed until Monday, but the authorities have not said whether long-delayed presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday will still take place.

- 'Food for today, tomorrow' -Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach from Colorado State University.

Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east of Cuba -- but no casualties so far.

Cuban authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people.

One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. "I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we'll see," he said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.

It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies.

The Pentagon said 700 family members of personnel have been evacuated from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba's eastern tip, to Florida.

President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

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