Authorities along Colombia's Caribbean coast prepared on Friday (September 30) for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew, which strengthened into a Category 4, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
The coastal town of Riohacha had an intensified security presence, with locals prohibited from using the beaches.
"Starting at midday, all activity here will be prohibited because the hurricane will begin to have its first effects," said a member of the local authority.
Matthew was located about 465 miles (750 kilometers) southeast of Kingston Jamaica on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (220 km/h), the NHC said.
Some additional strengthening is possible on Friday night, and some fluctuations in intensity are possible Saturday (October 1) and Sunday (October 2), the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
The last major hurricane in the region was Sandy, in 2012.
