Hurricane Matthew blamed for 4 US deaths, sparks flash-flood fears
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Hurricane Matthew
ORMOND BEACH, FL - OCTOBER 7: Palm trees blow in the rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew, October 7, 2016 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Overnight, Hurricane Matthew was downgraded to a category 3 storm. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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ST AUGUSTINE, FL - OCTOBER 07: Justin Dossett walks through a flooded street as Hurricane Matthew passes through the area on October 7, 2016 in St Augustine, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina all declared a state of emergency in preparation of Hurricane Matthew. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Story highlights
NEW: Storm's center is about 70 miles from Savannah, Georgia
Death toll in Florida is four
Editor’s Note: Are you affected by Hurricane Matthew? If it is safe for you to do so, WhatsApp us on *+44 7435 939 154* to share your photos, experiences and video. Please tag #CNNiReport in your message.
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Floridians along the Atlantic coast were coping Friday with rising water as Hurricane Matthew drenched the state with rain and as strong winds pushed waves over beaches.
Meteorologists said storm surge was measured at more than 4 feet in some areas.
“We are seeing impacts right now from St. Augustine to Jacksonville Beach. Unfortunately, this is going to continue through the night,” Gov. Rick Scott said.
The storm, which is blamed for four deaths in Florida, sparked flash-flood concerns. The National Weather Service issued a warning for parts of Nassau County, north of Jacksonville.
“The combination of a dangerous storm surge, the tide and large and destructive waves will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Special concern surrounded Jacksonville’s St. Johns River, which could be overwhelmed by water pushed into it by the storm. The hurricane center said a tide gauge reported storm surge of 4.28 feet.
After killing hundreds in Haiti and other Caribbean nations, Matthew’s frightening power led to the deaths of four people in Florida. The list included a woman in her 60s in Volusia County, hit by a falling tree, and an 82-year-old man and a woman in St. Lucie County, officials said. The latter two had medical emergencies and responders were unable to reach them in time because of hazardous weather.
A woman in northeast Florida died after a tree fell on her camper trailer, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Category 2 hurricane, while losing some of its wind speed, left more than 1 million people without power in Florida as it spent the day plowing north just off the state’s east coast. Late Friday, Matthew was hovering off the coast of Georgia and headed toward South Carolina, where officials issued warnings about the possibility of treacherous storm surge and up to 15 inches of rain.
Matthew is expected to arrive near or over the shores of South Carolina by Saturday and over to North Carolina by Saturday evening.
Winds were already blustery in Hilton Head, South Carolina, with one gust measured at 63 mph.
It’s not as if Matthew – with winds of 105 mph – won’t cause further damage with its powerful winds.
“Just because the center of circulation is offshore doesn’t mean you can’t be the center of action (along the coast),” National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said. “It’s going to get a lot worse before it (has) a chance of getting better.”
• As of 11 p.m. ET, Matthew’s center was over the Atlantic, about 70 miles south-southeast of Savannah, Georgia, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles from that center. It was moving north at 12 mph.
• A total of 1.1 million customers in Florida were without power.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
People wade through floodwaters with a boat in Nichols, South Carolina, on Monday, October 10. Hurricane Matthew caused flooding and damage in the Southeast -- from Florida to North Carolina -- after slamming Haiti and other countries in the Caribbean.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Joe Burbank/AP
Workers repair downed power lines in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Rescue teams maneuver through floodwaters in Lumberton, North Carolina, on October 10. President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in North Carolina and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Floodwaters inundate a home in Lumberton on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
Floodwaters surround a house in Nichols, South Carolina, on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley checks flooding near Nichols on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Rainier Ehrhardt/AP
Floodwaters surround power lines near Nichols on October 10.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
David Goldman/AP
Without power in the hurricane's aftermath, Missy Zinc shines a light so her husband, Shawn, can prepare steaks to grill in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on Sunday, October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Chuck Liddy/AP
Anthony Writebol, left, and his cousin Melissa Hill paddle past a stranded tractor-trailer in Lumberton on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer/AP
A man clings to a road sign after trying to swim out to help a stranded truck driver in Hope Mills, North Carolina, on October 9. Both were rescued.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Chris Seward/AP
People stop and take pictures of Highway 58, which was flooded in Nashville, North Carolina, on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
David Goldman/AP
Boats are pushed up among twisted docks in Hilton Head on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Chris Seward/AP
Rescue workers help several dogs that were trapped in homes in Pinetops, North Carolina, on October 9.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Travis Long/AP
A section of Wayne Memorial Drive was washed out in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Brian Blanco/Getty Images
John Tweedy wades into the swift-moving floodwaters surrounding his business in McClellanville, South Carolina, on Saturday, October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Stephen B. Morton/AP
A woman who gave her name only as Valerie walks along flooded President Street after leaving her homeless camp in Savannah, Georgia, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Charlie Riedel/AP
Volunteers clear debris from from a pool at a condominium complex in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
David Goldman/AP
A police officer steps through the remnants of a home leveled by Hurricane Matthew in the tiny beach community of Edisto Beach, South Carolina, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
David Goldman/AP
A downed tree and power lines block a road on Georgia's St. Simons Island on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Gerry Broome/AP
A woman fights the wind in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on October 8.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Eric Gay/AP
Parts of Highway A1A in Flagler Beach, Florida, were washed away by Hurricane Matthew on Friday, October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
John Bazemore/AP
Water flows over a seawall and fills the streets of St. Augustine, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Brian Blanco/Getty Images
Barbara Hearst tapes her storm shutters as Hurricane Matthew nears Charleston, South Carolina, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mic Smith/AP
Adam and Alec Selent watch waves crash over a retainer wall at the Ocean Club condominiums in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
James McEntee/ Verbatim/CNN
A damaged boat sits partially submerged on the intercoastal waterway in Melbourne, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
A police officer helps persuade a woman to board a bus and evacuate Savannah, Georgia, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Stephen B. Morton/AP
Preston Payne tries to hold his umbrella on Georgia's Tybee Island on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Heavy waves pound boat docks in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A women helps a dog walk through floodwaters in Port Orange, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
James McEntee/ Verbatim for CNN
Damage in Cocoa Beach.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
John Bazemore/AP
Waves crash against a bridge in St. Augustine, Florida.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Charlie Riedel/AP
A car drives past a downed tree as the hurricane moves through Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Wilfredo Lee/AP
A billboard canvas flaps in the wind after Hurricane Matthew passed North Palm Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
CRISTOBAL HERRERA/EPA
A woman inspects her damaged car under a tree in Fort Pierce, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A space shuttle model stands near some downed trees after Hurricane Matthew passed by Cocoa Beach.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Chris O'Meara/AP
A woman uses her phone under a battery-operated lantern at a hotel in Titusville, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Palm trees on Cocoa Beach sway in the wind on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via USA TODAY NETWORK/SIPA
Firefighters respond to a pre-dawn house fire in Satellite Beach, Florida, that was possibly caused by a downed power line on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP
Heavy rain billows in front of Exploration Tower in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on October 7.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
James McEntee/Verbatim for CNN
People stand on a beach in Broward County, Florida, as the storm approached the coast on Thursday, October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A police officer walks along the beach in Singer Island, Florida, on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Kevin Forde and John Haughey put plywood on a Miami Beach window on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Tim Aylen/AP
Hurricane Matthew moves through Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, on October 6. Capt. Stephen Russell, the head of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Authority, said there were many downed trees and power lines but no reports of casualties.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
GREGG NEWTON/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
People leave Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park, in heavy rain, after it closed in Orlando, Florida in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Matthew, on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Tim Aylen/AP
A man rakes up debris from a storm drain as he begins cleanup near a damaged gas station in Nassau on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Residents repair their homes in Les Cayes, Haiti, on October 6. The damage from Hurricane Matthew was especially brutal in southern Haiti, where sustained winds of 130 mph punished the country.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Girls hold hands as they help each other wade through a flooded street in Les Cayes on October 6.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Two days after the storm, authorities and aid workers in Haiti still lacked a clear picture of what they fear is the country's biggest disaster in years.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
BRUCE WEAVER/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
A supermarket shelf is nearly cleared out in Titusville, Florida, on Wednesday, October 5.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Robert Ray for CNN
Bumper-to-bumper traffic lines Interstate 26 in Columbia, South Carolina, as people drive west on October 5.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Malcolm Denemark/AP
Workers start removing umbrellas and the colorful rocking chairs that line the Cocoa Beach Pier in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on October 5.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Orlando Barria/EFE/EPA
People carry a coffin and try to cross the La Digue river on October 5 after a bridge collapsed in Petit-Goave, Haiti.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
People cross the La Digue river on October 5.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images
Evacuees return to their homes in the Carbonera community of Guantanamo, Cuba, on October 5.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ramon Espinosa/AP
People embrace at their damaged home in Baracoa, Cuba. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba, destroying dozens of homes in the country's easternmost city and leaving hundreds of others damaged.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ramon Espinosa/AP
A woman cries amid the rubble of her home in Baracoa.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mic Smith/AP
Bus drivers in North Charleston, South Carolina, wait for word to start evacuations.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ramon Espinosa/AP
The high winds of Hurricane Matthew roar over Baracoa on Tuesday, October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Mic Smith/AP
Beth Johnson fills up her car at a gas station in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
ERIKA SANTELICES/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
The mother of two girls who died in the storm is comforted near her home in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on October 4. The girls were killed when a landslide caused by flooding breached the walls of their house.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ezekiel Abiu Lopez/AP
A worker clears a sewer on a flooded street in Santo Domingo.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Amy Beth Bennett/AP
Anita Baranyi feeds her baby while keeping an eye on the generator she intends to purchase from a home-improvement store in Oakland Park, Florida, on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
People wade through the flooded streets of Cite Soleil in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on October 4. Hurricane Matthew is the strongest storm to hit Haiti since 1964 and the first hurricane to make landfall in the country since the devastating earthquake in 2010.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
People observe the flooding of a river near Port-au-Prince on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
ERIKA SANTELICES/AFP/Getty Images
Children swim in a flooded neighborhood of Santo Domingo on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
A truck used as public transportation drives through flooded streets in Port-au-Prince on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Hurricane winds blow against palm trees in Port-au-Prince.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
A food vendor lays out goods for sale during a light rain in Port-au-Prince on October 4.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Haitian civil protection workers arrive to evacuate the Tabarre region of Haiti on October 3.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Officials urge residents to evacuate their homes in the Grise River area of Tabarre on October 3.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
Clouds loom over the hills of the Petionville suburb of Port-au-Prince on October 3.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ramon Espinosa/AP
Families seek shelter from Hurricane Matthew at a university facility in Guantanamo, Cuba.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Eduardo Verdugo/AP
People near Kingston, Jamaica, take a photo in front of the rough surf produced by Hurricane Matthew on October 3.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
A backhoe removes garbage to clear a canal in Port-au-Prince on October 3.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Dieu Nalio Chery/AP
Nice Simon, the mayor of Tabarre, Haiti, holds a baby as she helps evacuate the area along a river.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
People stock up on food at a supermarket in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, October 2.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Ramon Espinosa/AP
A worker dismantles a traffic light in Santiago before Hurricane Matthew struck Cuba.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Collin Reid/AP
Motorists drive through heavy rains in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 2.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
STR/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Residents of Cuba's Holguin Province line up to buy gas on October 2.
Photos: Hurricane Matthew's path of destruction
Collin Reid/AP
A worker nails a board to a storefront window in Kingston on Saturday, October 1.
• The storm has killed at least 300 people in three Caribbean countries. The majority died in Haiti, said Civil Protection Service spokesman Joseph Edgard Celestin.
Nick Lomasney walks on a flooded street in St Augustine, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Mandatory evacuations in South Carolina
As northeastern Florida braced for impact, coastal communities in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina also were on notice. The storm’s center could be near or over the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Saturday, the hurricane center said.
Georgia:
• Glynn County officials wrote on Facebook that “Conditions have deteriorated to a point that persons remaining in (the area near Brunswick) are advised to shelter in place for the remainder of the storm.”
• Maj. Tommy Tillman of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said the road to Tybee Island is closed.
• In Savannah, Mayor Eddie DeLoach warned those who stay that they’d be on their own.
• Gov. Nathan Deal has ordered evacuations for all counties east of Interstate 95. Deal has activated 1,000 National Guard troops.
• Four counties and one city in South Carolina will be under nighttime curfews until further notice, said state Emergency Management Division spokesman Derrec Becker. Dorchester, Beaufort, Jasper and Williamsburg counties will be under curfew. Charleston’s curfew starts at midnight. The curfews end each morning, at different times.
• Gov. Nikki Haley warned residents who didn’t evacuate to go to a shelter. A major storm surge of 8 feet or more is approaching low-lying areas in the state, including Charleston.
• Although 310,000 people have evacuated the area, Haley says that’s not enough. Officials in some areas are going door to door, urging people to leave. Police in Pawleys Island asked residents who decided to stay in spite of the evacuation orders to sign a waiver and list their next of kin, according to CNN affiliate WBTW.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency for more than half the state’s 100 counties. The changing forecast now predicts the storm won’t have as great an impact on the state as once feared, and Matthew might even turn around before it gets there.
Officials are still concerned areas in eastern North Carolina that were recently flooded will see drenching rains from Matthew.
CNN’s Derek Van Dam, Eliott McLaughlin, Dave Hennen, Sheena Jones, Max Blau, Holly Yan, Stephanie Elam, Catherine E. Shoichet, Rolando Zenteno, Keith Allen, Shawn Nottingham, Alexander Leininger, Chandrika Narayan, Tony Marco, Deborah Bloom, Devon M. Sayers, Nick Valencia, Sara Sidner, Jason Morris and Rosa Flores contributed to this report.
