Hurricane Matthew: Florida hit with 120-mph winds, nearly 1 million lose power
Here's what we know
- The category 3 storm has winds reaching 120-mph extending from its centre
- President Obama has declared state of emergencies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
- The storm has killed more than 800 people in Haiti
- Its eyewall is a few miles off Florida's coast
- Four people have died in Florida as emergency crews struggled to respond to their calls
- More than 1 million residents in Florida are without electricity
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Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Matthew, the Category 3 storm with winds reaching 120mph, has battered the Florida coast with high-powered gusts and continuous rain. The eye of the storm is currently running parallel to the coast, and making its way north-northwest. The storm is said to be responsible for more than 800 deaths in Haiti and has devastated the Caribbean throughout the week.
President Barack Obama has declared state of emergencies Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will both coordinate relief efforts off the coast. More than 1 million residents have been evacuated in Florida and more than 1 million people are experiencing power outages in the state.
"We are just bracing and the winds are picking up," Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry told CNN early Friday morning. "A great number of our residents have taken heed to our warnings and we are certainly concerned about those that have not."
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