After its devastating travel trough Haiti, Colombia and the Bahamas, Hurricane Matthew approaches the United States in dangerous levels, according to forecasters. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina citizens, have begun to implement countermeasures in their homes to protect themselves.
Forecasters have informed Hurricane Matthew’s imminent winds and rains will end their pace trough the Bahamas on Wednesday and approach the southeastern region of the U.S on late Thursday. The hurricane’s levels are expected to increase from a lever three to a level four, which is why authorities from U.S regions have pledged citizens to buy food and water supplements and prevent any incidents.
So far, hurricane Matthew has been the cause of 11 deaths in the Caribbean especially in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic due to its winds of almost 145 mph and strong rains. U.S regions at higher risk, such as South Carolina, have declared a state of emergency and even asked citizens to evacuate coastal communities.
“I cannot emphasize enough that everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit,” informed Rick Scott, Florida’s governor on Wednesday.
Preparing for an imminent threat
On early Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Matthew would be “expected very near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening” and could lead to life-threatening flooding across the eastern coast of the state.
Governor Rick Scott has stated his concerns regarding the hurricane and advised all citizens to take the matter seriously and into their own hands. “If Matthew directly impacts Florida, there will be massive destruction,” informed Scott in a press conference as he announced the state of emergency.
According to Scott 500 members of the Florida National Guard have already been activated and remain alerted. 6,000 other members remain on the watch and will be deployed if the state needs it.
Forecasters have informed Matthew’s strength is likely to rise over the course of Wednesday with winds of over 120 mph, according to statements, this will be the greatest strength the hurricane has shown.
The state’s authorities have already shut down schools nearby possible threatening areas, such as Palm Beach schools and Boward County schools will remain closed until Friday. The Miami-Dade school is following the same steps and opening until six p-m on Wednesday.
One of the largest public schools in the state, the Florida International University in Miami will remain with open campuses until a decision is made on Wednesday, just as the University of Miami.
President Obama was set to visit Florida on early Wednesday but had to cancel its trip due to the hurricane’s threats in the state. POTUS informed he would be heading towards the Federal Emergency Management Agency, located in Washington DC to brief the hurricane’s threat.
“Regardless if there’s a direct hit or not, the impacts will be devastating,” informed Scott Florida’s governors.
Nikki Haley, South Carolina’s governor, followed Florida’s steps and activated all of the state’s National Guard and warned coastal communities and schools to abandon their location as the hurricane passes. According to the Washington Post, the region expects an evacuation of over 1 million people and roads are already jammed due to traffic.
Noth Carolina governor, Pat McCrory has declared an imminent emergency in almost 66 counties due to potential flooding, a situation that has been repeated in the location since Tropical Storm Julia.
McCrory also informed tourists in the state to leave it as soon as possible since eight inches of rain is expected in the location.
Georgia’s governor, Nathan Declared thirteen counties of the state in an emergency for the same reasons that Gov.McCrory did as well as avoiding extra exposure to the hurricane.
“We urge Georgians is our priority, and we urge residents to remain calm but vigilant,” said Deal in a public statement.
Florida-based companies, such as NASA, Space X, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and United Launch Alliance, have informed a change in traveler’s fees for suffering Matthew’s consequences.
According to Scott, the most important fact so far is keeping citizens safe and away from the possible damage. Several parents have been concerned about the supplies they might need to take care of their child as they face Hurricane Matthew’sstrengtht.
Long lines have been seen in the state’s gas pumping facilities to prevent incidents, as well as purchasing things like batteries, water bottles, and groceries.
Source: Washington Post