Hurricane Matthew: At least 10 dead Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia as storm causes flooding in US
The storm has been downgraded to Category 1 as it makes its way up the US coast
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Your support makes all the difference.At least ten people have died as Hurricane Matthew continued to work its way up the Atlantic coast of the United States.
The storm has diminished since pulverising Haiti, causing almost 900 deaths, yet still continues to wreak havoc in the US causing serious flooding and widespread power outages in Georgia and Florida.
Florida officials reported at least six deaths that resulted from the storm, while two people died in Georgia, and another three died in North Carolina.
South Carolina is the latest to brace for impact, but damage is expected to be somewhat lesser as the storm was downgraded to Category 1 on Saturday. Wind speeds have fallen by half from its 75 mph peak a week ago.
Still, the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening floods through the South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina as the storm continues to work its way up the coast.
Roads up the 600-mile route between Miami and Charleston were closed due to fallen trees and downed electric lines, according to Reuters.
More than 775,000 people in Florida were left without power, state officials said. South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley said 433,000 people reported outages, while 275,000 were left in the dark in Georgia.
Earlier this week, Gov Rick Scott had urged Florida residents to evacuate the areas as the storm would prove deadly if it made direct impact with the state. Some 6,000 people stayed in shelters as the stormed skirted the coast.
“We’re all blessed that Matthew stayed off our coast,” he said Saturday, noting that Floridians should expect to have their power returned by Sunday.
North Carolina Gov Pat McCrory expressed concerns that people would not take weakened Matthew seriously as it made its way up to the state Saturday evening.
“This is a very serious and deadly storm,” he said, urging residents to stay off roads and remain in their homes.
The National Weather Service expects Matthew to remain a hurricane as it works its way through the United States until Sunday, when it is predicted to move off the coast.