President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for Florida and South Carolina on Thursday, as Florida Gov. Rick Scott, begged residents to flee from the predicted landfall of Hurricane Matthew, which is expected to be a Category 4 storm when hits land.
The hurricane has “potentially disastrous impacts for Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 p.m., ET, update. There may also be some fluctuations in intensity as the hurricane approaches, the NHC said in its latest update.
The storm strengthened yet again early Thursday as it moved toward the United States, where about 1.5 million people were fleeing Atlantic coastal areas. As of noon EDT, the hurricane was posting maximum winds of 140 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in all 100 counties in the state.
The declaration allows the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid state and local responses to Matthew, which could cause tens of billions of dollars of damage to coastal areas.
Obama committed to providing necessary federal resources to help states respond to the hurricane in separate phone calls with the governors of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. The president also asked those in affected areas to follow the guidance of emergency response officials.
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