Florida braces for ‘monster’ hurricane Matthew

The state of Florida has begun preparing for the worst with emergency procedures and evacuation of locals as Hurricane Matthews heads for the city of Melbourne. The storm could be the most powerful to strike northeast Florida in 118 years, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

Although it has gone from a category four to three on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Rick Scott, governor of Florida, has warned locals to evacuate as the ‘monster’ hurricane is expected to do extensive damage. So far, no fatalities have been declared in Florida.

With gusts of 100mph already recorded in Cape Canaveral, the wind is expected to strengthen as the day goes on and the hurricane moves north.

Rick Scott said that there was “potential for significant flooding in Jacksonville area”. 600,000 homes are without power in the state because of the hurricane.

More than 330 people were killed and 15,000 displaced in Haiti when Matthew cut through houses and roads. Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas were also crushed.

According to the BBC, the city of Jeremie, Haiti, suffered the destruction of 80% of its buildings.

Major cities like Savannah and Georgia are also in the path of the storm.

“This is going to kill people,” Scott said. Gusts as high as 80mph have been recorded in Melbourne, Florida.

The governor has urged locals reluctant to evacuate to reconsider: “Just think of all the people this storm has already killed. You and your family could be among these numbers if you don’t take this seriously”.

Nasa says the storm has caused some roof damage to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. The agency says the hurricane has now passed offshore from the cape.

Conservative US blogger Matt Drudge posted a controversial tweet suggesting the the government were exaggerating warnings about the hurricane to make a point on climate change.

Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) 6 octobre 2016

But critics have reacted saying that his comment was dangerous and might have a deadly influence on his followers. Tweeter Aaron Morgan commented: “… if even one of your followers reads this, decides not to leave, and dies… that death is on your soul”.

In Central Florida, people are stocking up for power cuts. As a force of habit, Floridians know what is to be expected and have made all the necessary preparations to wait it out. Student Adrianna Clark, 23, has her family in Central Florida. Her family was not evacuated, but still took their precautions for the storm to come. “Floridians are used to hurricanes. This isn’t our first rodeo”, she says.

Her sister, Alexandria Clark, 26, confirmed that the situation was mild in that area. “The atmosphere is very calming and we feel relieved because we know the worst has passed”, she said.

“Currently, it is still raining and some strong winds. I went to look outside and I did not see any trees, debris, or parts of houses anywhere in sight.

“We cannot leave the house today due to the curfew, but at least we know it will only get better from here”.

In Brevard, some families are regretting their decision to ignore the evacuation warnings. Brevard County Emergency Operations spokesman David Waters said that these families were scared, some of them calling to say that their roof “just flew off their home on Merritt Island”.

Beth Woodcock, 20, a dancer at Florida International University’s Miami campus, said that they were evacuated yesterday, as their buildings were old and unlikely to resist hurricane bursts. “We ended up getting the worst of it at about 1 in the morning this morning, but everything right now is actually pretty calm.”

The situation seems to be better in some areas, but officials are warning residents that the risks are still there.