Source: Aljazeera

Hurricane which has already killed at least 65 people in Haiti could have “catastrophic” impact, Florida governor says.

The fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade slammed into the Bahamas early on Thursday, intensifying as it barrelled towards the southeast US coast where millions of residents heeded warnings to flee inland.

Roadways in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were jammed and gas stations and food stores ran out of supplies as Hurricane Matthew approached, packing storm surges, heavy rain and sustained winds that accelerated overnight to around 205 kilometres per hour.

Matthew, which killed at least 65 people and damaged swaths of homes in southern Haiti, has strengthened from a Category 3 to 4 storm en route to eastern Florida. Four more people were killed in Dominican Republic.

Landfall was expected in Florida on Thursday night, the US National Hurricane Center said, extending its hurricane warning area further north into Georgia in its 6am EST (10:00 GMT) advisory.

“Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit,” Florida Governor Scott told a news conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday. “If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared.”

The four states in the path of the hurricane, tracked 410km southeast of West Palm Beach, declared states of emergency enabling their governors to mobilise the National Guard.

Shelters in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina opened their doors after authorities, along with President Barack Obama, urged locals to evacuate their homes.

Federal emergency response teams were coordinating with officials in all four states and stockpiling supplies, Obama said.

Scott requested that Obama declare a pre-landfall emergency for Florida, which would bring resources including food, water and waterproof coverings and double the active National Guard force to 3,000.
Schools and airports across the region were closed on Thursday and some hospitals evacuated patients, according to local media.

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