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Hurricane Matthew: storm weakens but continues to lash Florida and Georgia – live Hurricane Matthew: storm weakens but continues to lash Florida and Georgia – live
(35 minutes later)
4.13am BST
04:13
Haiti death toll rises to 877
Reuters has reported that the death toll in Haiti has risen to 877, according to local officials.
4.09am BST
04:09
Hello, Calla Wahlquist here, taking over from Bonnie. The storm is now off the coast of Savannah and is expected to send a storm surge up the Savannah River, with tides of almost 3m, according to the weather channel.
The worst of the storm is expected to reach Charleston by Saturday morning, according to the 11pm advisory from the National Hurricane Centre.
Here's the 11pm forecast for #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/FK7cJRA4B8
It is a “storm surge machine,” according to the Weather Channel.
Strong winds and very wet atmosphere observed from our evening weather balloon. #Matthew #scwv #chswx pic.twitter.com/0bvakvbkMs
If you’re in the area, 1) stay safe, and 2) reach out to me @callapilla on twitter.
3.35am BST3.35am BST
03:3503:35
As the clouds start to dissipate in Florida, the extent of the damage wrought by Matthew is becoming clear.As the clouds start to dissipate in Florida, the extent of the damage wrought by Matthew is becoming clear.
As seen in Flagler Beach this afternoon. Utter devastation from Matthew. Photo: Natalie Palmer #flwx @Fox4Now pic.twitter.com/9e5XxHnTirAs seen in Flagler Beach this afternoon. Utter devastation from Matthew. Photo: Natalie Palmer #flwx @Fox4Now pic.twitter.com/9e5XxHnTir
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.38am BSTat 3.38am BST
3.26am BST3.26am BST
03:2603:26
As Savannah and Charleston brace for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew, things in Florida are looking up.As Savannah and Charleston brace for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew, things in Florida are looking up.
#HurricaneMatthew is now well north of SW Florida and gorgeous views are leading us into what will be a pretty nice and amazing weekend! pic.twitter.com/uaWbLl7yv3#HurricaneMatthew is now well north of SW Florida and gorgeous views are leading us into what will be a pretty nice and amazing weekend! pic.twitter.com/uaWbLl7yv3
3.23am BST3.23am BST
03:2303:23
The US is sending the USS Mesa Verde, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, to Haiti to help with the response to the storm, which killed more than 800 people there when it blew through earlier this week, according to Reuters.The US is sending the USS Mesa Verde, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, to Haiti to help with the response to the storm, which killed more than 800 people there when it blew through earlier this week, according to Reuters.
#USNavy #USSMesaVerde steams toward #Haiti in response to #HurricaneMatthew - https://t.co/Y6i1g0HT6j (File photo) pic.twitter.com/q9neslPpd4#USNavy #USSMesaVerde steams toward #Haiti in response to #HurricaneMatthew - https://t.co/Y6i1g0HT6j (File photo) pic.twitter.com/q9neslPpd4
3.01am BST3.01am BST
03:0103:01
The governor of Georgia has called in 1000 extra National Guards to help with the emergency response as fears grow that the city could be hit with a huge storm surge.The governor of Georgia has called in 1000 extra National Guards to help with the emergency response as fears grow that the city could be hit with a huge storm surge.
I've called up 1000 add'l @GeorgiaGuard to assist state & local authorities w/ #Matthew emergency response. 2000 guardsmen now activated.I've called up 1000 add'l @GeorgiaGuard to assist state & local authorities w/ #Matthew emergency response. 2000 guardsmen now activated.
#Savannah has a very real possibility of breaking an 80+ year storm #surge record tonight w/ #Matthew. High tide at 1:22 AM ET. #gawx pic.twitter.com/xyorKSJlUT#Savannah has a very real possibility of breaking an 80+ year storm #surge record tonight w/ #Matthew. High tide at 1:22 AM ET. #gawx pic.twitter.com/xyorKSJlUT
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.03am BSTat 3.03am BST
2.57am BST2.57am BST
02:5702:57
The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a flash flooding alert for large parts of Savannah.The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a flash flooding alert for large parts of Savannah.
⚠️ Move to higher ground! Flash Flood Warning continues for Savannah GA until 5:45 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/1azte9VzHc⚠️ Move to higher ground! Flash Flood Warning continues for Savannah GA until 5:45 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/1azte9VzHc
2.54am BST2.54am BST
02:5402:54
Hello, Bonnie Malkin here, taking over from Nicky as attention turns from Florida to Georgia, where Hurricane Matthew is approaching Savannah.Hello, Bonnie Malkin here, taking over from Nicky as attention turns from Florida to Georgia, where Hurricane Matthew is approaching Savannah.
Footage from the coastal city, known around the world for its antebellum architecture and oak trees covered in Spanish moss, shows that the severe weather has well and truly arrived.Footage from the coastal city, known around the world for its antebellum architecture and oak trees covered in Spanish moss, shows that the severe weather has well and truly arrived.
#Matthew in #Savannah #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/Ai5EcO6dSo#Matthew in #Savannah #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/Ai5EcO6dSo
Want to know what #Savannah #Georgia looks like under curfew as #HurricaneMatthew hits? pic.twitter.com/6eX1tKAM2TWant to know what #Savannah #Georgia looks like under curfew as #HurricaneMatthew hits? pic.twitter.com/6eX1tKAM2T
2.44am BST2.44am BST
02:4402:44
Here's where things stand at 9:40pm ESTHere's where things stand at 9:40pm EST
I’m now handing you over to my colleague Bonnie Malkin, who will bring you live updates throughout the night.I’m now handing you over to my colleague Bonnie Malkin, who will bring you live updates throughout the night.
2.29am BST2.29am BST
02:2902:29
A Florida couple are planning to still have their wedding tomorrow at 5pm on Florida’s Cocoa Beach, despite Hurricane Matthew hitting the area hard all day today.A Florida couple are planning to still have their wedding tomorrow at 5pm on Florida’s Cocoa Beach, despite Hurricane Matthew hitting the area hard all day today.
Jaime Gurnavage, who plans to go ahead with her marriage to Ryan Gordan, said:Jaime Gurnavage, who plans to go ahead with her marriage to Ryan Gordan, said:
We’re definitely going to have a beach wedding no matter what - I have been planning this wedding for the past year, down to every last detail, from a whimsical wedding on the shore of Cocoa Beach to the classic beach-chic reception with an amazing Caribbean dinner spread with a magical floating sky lantern send off into the night’s sky overlooking the ocean to finish off the evening.We’re definitely going to have a beach wedding no matter what - I have been planning this wedding for the past year, down to every last detail, from a whimsical wedding on the shore of Cocoa Beach to the classic beach-chic reception with an amazing Caribbean dinner spread with a magical floating sky lantern send off into the night’s sky overlooking the ocean to finish off the evening.
2.20am BST
02:20
Hurricane Matthew has now moved into Georgia state waters, and its coastal regions are beginning to feel its effects in earnest:
Coastal Georgia getting blasted by rain, wind, rising surge from #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/H2nyFZ7j5e
In the wake of the storm, parts of Florida experienced some pretty spectacular sunsets this evening:
Great sunset tonight in West Palm Beach, FL as we make our way to Wrightsville Beach, NC via Atlanta to get ahead of #Matthew pic.twitter.com/DbiPBcZPHH
Sunset after the storm in Delray Beach. 📷 by @CBS12 Humberto Omena. Prayers continue for those impacted #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/nqguyxTE70
Updated
at 2.21am BST
2.06am BST
02:06
US death toll rises to five
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that a woman died from a heart attack after rescuers couldn’t get to her in St Lucie county, bringing the death toll to five - three in St Lucie county, including an elderly couple who died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in their home, and two killed by falling trees, one in Volusia county, another in Putnam County.
1.51am BST
01:51
It’s looking like Florida may have escaped the fiercest winds of Hurricane Matthew, and the storm is just about leaving the state now - its center is off the coast of Georgia, heading slowly north towards Savannah.
Hold On Florida-- Hurricane Matthew is about to exit your state. Moving so slow at 12 mph! pic.twitter.com/O9TR09yqgx
There is serious concern that the surge of water being pushed by the storm - as much as 10 feet - is going to hit parts of South Carolina at high tide. That’s a big problem.
The Weather Channel’s Adam Dean explains why in a bit more detail:
Why I'm REALLY concerned about Georgia & SC coast tonight #Matthew @JimCantore @daveclark @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/58ESVKF0eN
Updated
at 1.51am BST
1.33am BST
01:33
Richard Luscombe
Hurricane Matthew, weakened but still a formidable storm, continued to pound the northern Florida coastline on Friday afternoon, renewing fears of life-threatening flooding in Jacksonville and other low-lying, heavily populated cities further north, including Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, reports Richard Luscombe from Miami.
After the category 3 storm’s punishing slow crawl up Florida’s eastern coast earlier in the day, which left more than a million residents without power, focus turned away from the strength of its wide wind field and towards the threat posed by the substantial storm surge.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Matthew to a category 2 storm in its 5pm advisory but said that the surge, forecast to reach up to nine feet in vulnerable areas such as the St John’s river that runs through central Jacksonville, could lead to “life-threatening inundation” during the next 36 hours as far as Cape Fear, North Carolina.
NHC senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila said that Matthew, which killed hundreds in Haiti during its earlier march through the Caribbean, still had more misery to spread. “We have been very fortunate that Matthew’s strongest winds have remained a short distance offshore of the Florida coast thus far, but this should not be a reason to let down our guard,” he said in the advisory.
“The water hazards remain, even if the core of Matthew remains offshore.”
1.19am BST
01:19
Hurricane Matthew is now centered off the North Florida / South Georgia coast, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. It is moving north at 12mph, with sustained windspeeds of 110mph.
This incredible video shows the extent of flooding in St Augustine, Florida, which bore the brunt of the storm earlier today:
Video shows flooding in St. Augustine, Florida, as a result of Hurricane #Matthew https://t.co/AHoKaEZNQL pic.twitter.com/DYySHptYCF
And meanwhile, the wind is picking up in Charleston, South Carolina:
It's picking up. Here's at fresh look where I am on the Battery pic.twitter.com/PIBnTJEyCU
1.07am BST
01:07
“Hurricane Matthew has further exacerbated the already severe epidemic of cholera in Haiti, as millions of people go without safe drinking water,” said Michael Posner, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and co-director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, in an email to the Guardian.
Cholera did not exist in Haiti until a UN peacekeeping force contaminated public waters after yet another natural disaster, an earthquake, killed 200,000 people in 2010. Since then, almost 800,000 people have been infected with the disease, and close to 30,000 have died.
It’s time that the UN and its member states align their development and human rights agendas and come up with a viable plan to prevent further infection so the death toll from cholera ceases to escalate.
12.45am BST
00:45
Canada is pledging $300,000 in aid to Haiti for disaster relief after Hurricane Matthew killed upwards of 800 people and flattened entire communities, reports the Canadian Global News.
In a press release, the Canadian government said:
On October 6, 2016, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency relief operation to support the Haitian Red Cross Society in providing immediate assistance to approximately 50,000 people for twelve months. The operation will focus on meeting the health, water and sanitation, and shelter needs to those affected by the floods in the departments of Sud, Grand Anse, Nippes, Sud-est, Ouest and Nord-ouest.
Canada is supporting this emergency relief operation through the Canadian Red Cross Society.
12.23am BST
00:23
Matthew Kelsch, a meteorologist with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, just sent the Guardian this analysis over email:
The storm center (and its narrow radius of extreme winds) is completely offshore. It is moving north as the nearby coastline bends to the northwest, so the storm is getting farther from the coast. The geometry changes over the next 24h (beginning Friday evening) because the coastline of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina bends back to the northeast.
Although the storm may also start bending more to the northeast, that probably won’t happen until the storm center draws nearer to the coastline. The storm may actually make a brief landfall in South Carolina on Friday as a category 1 or 2 hurricane. The storm did not make landfall in Florida which was a great relief because that kept the strongest winds just offshore.
Although the most intense winds stayed offshore, bands of moderately strong winds and intense rains are hundreds of miles across and have produced heavy rain and large storm surges along the coast. That will continue into Georgia and the Carolinas tonight and tomorrow.
So Georgia, South Carolina, and maybe southeastern North Carolina are likely to see some coastal flooding. River flooding triggered by intense rainfall may occur inland a couple hundred miles. There may even be a brief tornado in some of the rain bands.
12.04am BST
00:04
The Associated Press has released this extraordinary video, taken from the cockpit of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flying through the eyewall and into the eye of Hurricane Matthew.
11.45pm BST
23:45
As the storm moves north up the Atlantic seaboard away from Florida towards Georgia and South Carolina, parts of Florida are now beginning the process of assessing the damage caused.
Governor Rick Scott just tweeted:
Damage assessments are happening now in South Florida and Central. They will continue as the storm passes each county.
Late on Thursday and early Friday, Matthew continued to lash Volusia and Brevard counties in Florida, including the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, with torrential rain and sustained winds as the storm’s outer eyewall nudged parallel to the coast.
Nasa reported limited roof damage from 107mph gusts, but no effect to its launchpads, which are constructed to withstand 125mph winds.
Downed power lines and fallen trees appeared to be the worst of the damage in Martin and St Lucie counties to the south.
Bill Snyder, the Martin County sheriff, said he believed his county had “dodged a bullet”, the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe writes.