On Wednesday, October 5, Hurricane Matthew charged on the Caribbean. Officials issued a warning of evacuation to thousands of people along the Atlantic Coast.
In South Carolina, Governor Nick Haley announced the evacuation of an estimated 250 million people from its vulnerable coastline. In Florida, residents on barrier islands and flood-prone areas were ordered to pack and move away.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said his state could see its biggest evacuation ever. "If you're able to go early, leave now," he added.
On Wednesday, Matthew was dubbed a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph. At 5 p.m. On the same day, Matthew was central in about 205 miles south-southeast of Nassau in the Bahamas. Matthew was heading northwest at 12 mph and was expected to be close in on Florida's Atlantic coast.
The federal government's preparations on Wednesday were reported to U.S. President Barack Obama. He told reporters that now is the time to "hope for the best but we want to prepare for the worst."
Hurricane warnings are in effect from Broward County to the Space Coast which leads to officials closing schools for the rest of the week. Students were sent home on Wednesday after the cancellation of their school activities from their school districts. Colleges and universities started canceling their class on Wednesday evening.
Hurricane watch where hurricane force winds could occur is in effect starting from Sebastian Inlet to Daytona Beach area.
States of emergency were declared in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and President Obama visited the headquarters of Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said, "Matthew - recently a Category 4 storm and at one brief point a fierce Category 5 - will remain a powerful storm at least through Thursday night." It added that "while maximum winds decreased slightly in recent hours, further fluctuations in intensity are possible in coming days."
