Hurricane Matthew: Employees evacuated from Guantanamo but no prisoner moved

WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - The US Navy will evacuate 700 family members of military staff from Guantanamo Bay in advance of Hurricane Matthew, although no prisoners will be taken away from the infamous prison.

Agreeing to a statement, “mandatory evacuation” for entirely non-essential personnel ahead of the Category 4 hurricane hitting the island.

Base commander and Navy captain David Culpepper told residents of the military base it was necessary to “prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

The latest forecasts called for Matthew, a Category 4 storm, to reach Cuba on Tuesday.

There are about 5,500 people living on the Guantanamo Bay base, including 61 terrorism suspects held at the detention center.

According to Captain John Filostart, prisoners will not be evacuated.