Hurricane Matthew 'Will Be Devastating,' Florida Gov. Scott Says

<p>Florida Governor Rick Scott sounded the alarm on the powerful Hurricane Matthew&nbsp;on Wednesday, saying no matter what path the storm takes now, &ldquo;the effects will be devastating.&ldquo;</p>

Wednesday, October 5th 2016, 10:21 am

By: News 9


Florida Governor Rick Scott sounded the alarm on the powerful Hurricane Matthew on Wednesday, saying no matter what path the storm takes now, “the effects will be devastating.“

The Category 3 storm is expected to start affecting the Florida Atlantic coast with tropical storm conditions by early Thursday, but Scott said the time to prepare is now. Matthew is projected to strengthen back into a Category 4 with estimated 145 mph sustained winds as it passes the Bahamas. 

Florida and other Atlantic Coast states have begun mobilizing their disaster response teams in earnest, and mandatory evacuations are expected to begin by Wednesday afternoon. Its projected path puts millions of people in line for at least an indirect hit of the giant storm.

“Don’t focus on the projected path,” Scott said at a news conference urging people in low lying areas to evacuate now, adding that a small deviation from Hurricane Matthew’s current trajectory could “mean catastrophic devastation.”

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the eye of Matthew was centered at 8 a.m. EDT Wednesday about 115 miles south of Long Island in the Bahamas. It had top sustained winds of 115 mph and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph.

The Florida governor said people who stay for the storm could easily become trapped.

“During the storm we cannot put a first responder’s life at risk,” Scott said. “You better prepare yourself.”

Classes along the entire Atlantic coastline of Florida have been canceled already. Officials in central Florida’s Brevard County have ordered residents on barrier islands and in flood-prone areas to evacuate in advance of the powerful hurricane. Residents who live in mobile and manufactured homes also are being ordered to leave.

Forecasters said Hurricane Matthew’s high winds, pounding rains and storm surge were already beginning to have an impact in the southern Bahamas as the storm, with top sustained winds of 125 mph.

A day earlier, Matthew swept across a remote area of Haiti with 145 mph winds, and government leaders said they weren’t close to fully gauging the impact in the vulnerable, flood-prone country where less powerful storms have killed thousands.

States of emergency have been declared across Florida, parts of Georgia and North Carolina and in all of South Carolina, where Governor Nikki Haley is ordering more than a million people to move inland.  

At a press conference Wednesday, S.C. Governor Nikki Haley said 250,000 people were being ordered to evacuate two coastal counties, a figure not including the tourists there too.

Haley said the two counties -- Charleston and Beaufort -- will begin evacuating at 3 p.m. Wednesday. She said evacuations in Georgetown and Horry counties will be on Thursday. 

At least 11 deaths had been blamed on the powerful storm during its weeklong march across the Caribbean, five of them in Haiti. But with a key bridge washed out, roads impassable and phone communications down, the western tip of Haiti was isolated and there was no word on dead and injured.

CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez found so many people fueling up at a service station in Pembroke Pines, Florida on Tuesday night, a man was directing traffic to the pumps.

“There were quite a few lines earlier so we decided to come out a little later,” said Judy Karagiannes, fueling up. “We figured you know, maybe later would be better.”

“What about this storm in particular made you decide, ‘let’s get prepared?’” Bojorquez asked.

“The strength of the winds and how big it is,” Karagiannes said. 

“Been through Wilma and Katrina and pretty much seen what devastation they can cause - so not taking any chances,” said another resident. 

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