Hurricane Matthew is tracking along the Florida coast, battering the state with strong winds and rain, but has yet to make landfall Friday morning.
The Category 3 storm is expected to move north into Georgia and South Carolina starting Friday night and into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti as a Category 4 storm, and has fluctuated between a Category 3 and 4 on its path toward the United States.
“This storm will kill you,” Florida Governor Rick Scott warned at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “The storm has already killed people. We should expect the same impact in Florida.”
The storm has killed more than 280 people so far as it traveled through the Caribbean and Bahamas, barrelling toward the Florida coast. Most of these deaths occurred in Haiti, and the total is likely to rise as officials reach the areas hardest hit by the hurricane, the New York Times reported Thursday afternoon.
Station cameras captured new views today of massive Hurricane Matthew. Matthew was moving through the Bahamas as a Category 4 hurricane. pic.twitter.com/ARD2odlCcQ
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 6, 2016
From Florida to North Carolina, more than two million people have been advised to evacuate, and President Obama has already declared a state of emergency.
More than 600,000 people in Florida were without power Friday, with the number expected to climb as the storm moves north, according to USA Today.
Several organizations are ready to help those affected by the storm in the United States and Haiti. If you’d like to contribute to the recovery, CNN has compiled a list of resources.
This post will be updated as the story develops. In the meantime, learn why global warming could cause more destructive hurricanes.
Update
This story has been updated to reflect Hurricane Matthew's path and its effects.
Shayla Brooks is a San Diego-based journalist who loves breaking news, social media, and her cat Zelda.
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