Millions flee inland as Southeast US braces for Hurricane Matthew

The fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade slammed into the Bahamas early on October 6, intensifying as it barreled towards the southeast U.S. coast where a mass exodus was under way with millions heeding warnings to flee inland.

People walk down the street next to destroyed houses after Hurricane Matthew passes Jeremie, Haiti, October 5, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)
People walk down the street next to destroyed houses after Hurricane Matthew passes Jeremie, Haiti, October 5, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

Roadways in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were packed and gas stations and food stores ran out of supplies as Hurricane Matthew approached, packing sustained winds of about 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour), storm surges and heavy rain.

Matthew, which killed at least 26 people and damaged swathes of homes in southern Haiti, was predicted to strengthen from a Category 3 to 4 storm en route to eastern Florida. Landfall was expected there on Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The four states in the hurricane's path declared states of emergency enabling their governors to mobilize 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.

Schools and airports across the region were closed on Thursday and some hospitals evacuated patients, according to local media. The National Hurricane Center said it was still too soon to predict where in the United States Matthew was likely to do the most damage.

On October 4-5, the storm whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds and torrential rains, pummeling towns and destroying livestock, crops and homes. The devastation in Haiti prompted authorities to postpone a presidential election.

Reuters