Earlier in the week it was unclear whether Hurricane Matthew would touch done on the coast of the U.S. or not, but now it is clear that it will. On Thursday morning the hurricane was moved from a category three to a category four threat as it headed towards Florida with 140 MPH winds.
Over half a million people across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have been urged to go inland to avoid the storm as much as possible, as it expected to hit Florida first and then towards the other two states. This is the first time that Georgia has seen that sort of evacuation warning in 17 years.
The hurricane has already killed at least 29 people in the Caribbean, with 23 of those deaths in Haiti alone. Forecasters are expecting the storm to cause 15 inches of rain and storm surges of five to eight feet. The Fort Lauderdale Airport closed down all flights, and patients from waterfront hospitals in Florida have been moved to safer locations.
Florida’s governor Rick Scott has emphasized the seriousness of the storm and that residents should act accordingly, and quickly.
“This is a dangerous storm. The storm has already killed people. We should expect the same impact in Florida.”
