Hurricane Matthew to directly hit Florida
The residents of Florida are expecting Hurricane Matthew to directly hit the shores. The damage done by the storm could be catastrophic, calling for evacuation orders for thousands of people living around the coasts.
More than two million people living in the coastal areas of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have been advised to evacuate.
Matthew at present is carrying winds blowing at a speed of 185 kmph and could strengthen further before hitting Florida as a Category 4 storm.
Matthew has already brought immense damage in Haiti and the Bahamas. Thousands of people have been displaced and more than 20 people have been reported dead so far.
At about 9 pm (Greenwich Mean Time), Matthew was seen strengthening over north-western Bahamas.
The hurricane is expected to expected to cross the Grand Bahama Island and move towards the the east coast of the Florida peninsula by Thursday night.
Hurricane Matthew is being termed as the strongest and the most long-lasting Atlantic Storm since the year 2007.
The storm after battering Haiti has traveled up to Cuba and will gradually reach the Bahamas. It will finally reach the East Coast of the United States by end of this week.
The storm made landfall at the Haiti coast near Les Anglais on Monday, as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing catastrophic conditions. Thousands of people were forced to leave the coastal areas. A bridge in Hiati collapsed and four people have been reported dead in Dominican Republic. However, the death toll in Haiti is feared to be quite high. Several streets have been flooded in the region, especially southern parts of Haiti.
The storm began pounding Cuba with torrential rains since Tuesday night.
Animation of GOES-E infrared satellite imagery w/major Hurricane #Matthew making landfall in Haiti early today & then Cuba this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/5yjj2mR9oV
— NWS OPC (@NWSOPC) October 4, 2016
Mandatory evacuations are being carried out. Schools and Government institutions have been shut and shelter homes have been put up in wake of Hurricane Matthew.
Cameras outside the space station captured views of major Hurricane Matthew as it flew 250 miles over the massive storm today. pic.twitter.com/XoLpXvfkKd — Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 4, 2016
Matthew will divert northwestwards across the Bahamas throughout Wednesday and Thursday. It is likely to hit the Bahamas by 8 am on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Alert has been expanded for the East Coast of Florida as well. Four states in the US East Coast have sounded a state of emergency.
Image Credit - Carlos Garcia
