Hurricane Matthew is heading west toward the US East Coast. The strongest hurricane in the Carribean slammed into Haiti and Bahama on Tuesday Oct. 4 and is now set to hit states in the East Coast. Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have declared an emergency situation and have prepared for evacuation.
Hurricane Matthew made a landfall in Western Haiti on Tuesday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds at the speed of 145mph (230km/h). As the hurricane moves west toward the north-eastern coast of Cuba to the East Coast, Florida and North Carolina have braced for impact, as reported by USA Today.
In the aftermath of the storm's onslaught in Haiti as reported by NBC News, the damage is still being assessed. Two people were reported dead in Haiti, and four in the Dominican Republic. The powerful hurricane also led to the collapse of a bridge connecting the town of Petit-Goâve to the capital Port-au-Prince.
Hurricane Matthew is the strongest hurricane in Carribean and it is recorded as a Category 4 hurricane based on NOAA scales. Hurricanes with that scale are able to sustain winds at the speed of 130-156mph (209-251 km/h). They can cause very serious damage even to well-built homes, and can uproot trees as well.
The National Hurricane Center reported that after making landfall in Haiti, Matthew headed towards eastern Cuba with wind speeds of 140 mph. In Florida, Governor Rick Scott has issued a warning to prepare for evacuation as the hurricane headed towards the state.
"We have to be prepared for a major hurricane," Gov. Scott said as quoted by CNN. "We have to prepare for a direct hit."
While in South Carolina, Gov. Nikki Haley has also declared an emergency warning and said that South Carolina would begin medical evacuations on Tuesday and coastal evacuations on Wednesday afternoon. There will be more than 1 million people set to be affected by the evacuation order in the state, according to South Carolina Department of Emergency Management Director Kim Stenson.
North Carolina and Georgia have also prepared for the impact. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal issued an emergency in 13 coastal counties, and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in more than half of its counties.
Watch the CNN report about Hurricane Matthew as it heads westwards to the US, from CNN Official's YouTube channel below:
