ATLANTA _ Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal ordered a mandatory evacuation of six coastal counties as officials extended a hurricane warning to Georgia and Hurricane Matthew gained new strength.
The order applies to residents of Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden counties. Deal also called for the voluntary evacuation of residents of low-lying areas west of I-95.
Meanwhile, the Georgia State Patrol closed eastbound ramps of I-16 near Dublin.
"The flow of traffic on I-16 will be converted to only WB as soon as the EB lanes have been cleared," officials said in Twitter posts. "Don't drive around traffic barriers. They've been put in place for your safety & the safety of other drivers."
Matthew, a dangerous storm described by Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan as the strongest storm in the Atlantic in about 10 years, has already killed at least 16 people in the Caribbean as it cut through Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas, according to The Associated Press.
And a motorist shot in an altercation with a South Carolina deputy over a Hurricane Matthew evacuation route has died, the AP reported.
Matthew was working its way through the Bahamas early Thursday amid forecasters' predictions it would be near Florida's Atlantic coast by Thursday evening and reach coastal Georgia Friday afternoon. The storm could bring 140 mph winds to the Florida coast, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Georgia has not had a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century.
The mandatory evacuation order, extended warning and I-16 closure came a day after Deal expanded a state of emergency from 13 to 30 counties in the southeastern region of the state. Governors in three other states _ Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina _ also declared states of emergency and issued evacuation orders.
Government buildings were boarded up on Tybee Island, where a mandatory evacuation went into effect at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Chatham urged residents of all three islands and low lying areas east of the Wilmington River to evacuate starting at 8 a.m. All areas in and about rivers or tributaries were encouraged to evacuate, too.
"Any person that elects not to evacuate should be prepared to ride out the storm in a secure area with three days' non- perishable provisions and adequate drinking water, given the potential for loss of power for 72 hours or greater," authorities said.
Georgia's state of emergency includes Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Treutlen, Toombs, Ware and Wayne counties. Coastal Georgia could get winds up to 70 mph, structural damage and widespread power outages.
Georgia Southern University in Statesboro and Savannah canceled all Friday and Saturday classes and events. Classes and events at Savannah Art of College and Design are canceled through Sunday.
More than 2,500 flights have been canceled, according to ABC News.
There were 1,417 flights canceled Thursday alone, with 101 of those in Atlanta, the television network reported.
Miami International Airport plans to stop offering flights after noon, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was suspending operations.
Delta, American, United and JetBlue airlines are offering travelers change fee waivers for hurricane affected areas.
Matthew could also affect the University of Georgia's football game against the University of South Carolina on Saturday night. School officials are monitoring the weather conditions to decide if they're going to have to move the game or cancel it.
"We anticipate a decision about the game to be made on Thursday," South Carolina school officials said on Twitter. "The safety of everyone affected by the storm and the minimization of the impact on emergency personnel are the most important factors in making the decision."
