Hurricane Matthew, the Category 3 storm with winds past 100mph, has battered Florida with high-powered gusts and continuous rain. The eye of the storm is currently running parallel to the coast, and making its way north-northwest. The storm is said to be responsible for at least 260 deaths in Haiti and has devastated the Caribbean throughout the week.
President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will both coordinate relief efforts off the coast. More than 1 million residents have been evacuated in Florida and more than 300,000 people are experiencing power outages in the state.
"We are just bracing and the winds are picking up," Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry told CNN early Friday morning. "A great number of our residents have taken heed to our warnings and we are certainly concerned about those that have not."
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