Residents of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are preparing for evacuations as the “extremely dangerous” Hurricane Matthew is expected to brush up to the US East Coast later this week.
Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents on Tuesday to prepare for a direct hit from the powerful category 4 storm.
“Regardless if there is a direct hit or not, the impacts will be devastating,” Scott said. “I cannot emphasize it enough that everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit.”
The hurricane made landfall near the eastern tip of Cuba on Tuesday night after pounding Haiti with heavy rain and powerful winds and tides.
At 11 p.m. ET, Matthew was about 55 miles east by northeast of Guantanamo, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has already killed as many as seven people, including four in the Dominican Republic.
