Santiago de Cuba, October 4 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raúl Castro is in Santiago de Cuba, as part of his working visit to eastern Cuba to assess preparations ahead of the predicted landfall there of powerful Hurricane Matthew.  

Accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín and the President of the National Defense Council in Santiago de Cuba, Lázaro Expósito Canto, the Cuban head of state toured neighborhoods, where he exchanged with residents on the need to stay timely informed about the passing of the category-4 hurricane and follow all the instructions from Cuba Civil Defense toward preserving human life, property and economic resources. 

President Raúl Castro visited the Solar Energy Research Center and a photovoltaic facility, comprising little over 10 thousand solar panels, of which nearly 9 thousand have been dismantled ahead of Matthew, while steps have also been taken to ensure that those remaining are protected from hurricane-force winds.

The Cuban president visited also the Mariana Grajales Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, where he was given detailed information on the measures adopted to continue providing all of the facility's services prior, during and after the passage of the hurricane. 

On the forecast track, the eye of Matthew will move near eastern Cuba later today, and move near or over portions of the southeastern and central Bahamas tonight and tomorrow, and approach the northwestern Bahamas tomorrow night.