Almost 2 million people urged to evacuate as deadly Hurricane Matthew nears U.S.
As Hurricane Matthew heads toward Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, governors on Wednesday either ordered or strongly encouraged nearly 2 million people along the coast to evacuate.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm, now a category 3, was centered about 400 miles southeast of West Palm Beach, Florida, at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, and moving northwest. As the hurricane passed through the Bahamas, it was a category 3 with sustained winds of 120 mph, and it is expected to be close to Florida's Atlantic coast by Thursday evening. At least 25 deaths in the Caribbean have been blamed on the hurricane, as well as extensive damage in Haiti.
The last time a hurricane of category 3 or higher hit the U.S. was in October 2005, when Wilma made landfall in southwest Florida with 120 mph winds. It left five people dead, caused an estimated $21 billion in damage, and left thousands without electricity for more than a week.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Expressionists: a 'rousing' exhibition at the Tate Modern
The Week Recommends Show mixes 'ferociously glowing masterpieces' from Kandinsky with less well-known artwork
By The Week UK Published
-
The Mighty Five: a guide to Utah's mesmerizing national parks
The Week Recommends From Arches to Zion, you should wander them all
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
How is your mortgage rate determined?
The Explainer The Federal Reserve is partly to blame, but so are various personal financial factors
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
EPA limits carcinogenic emissions at 218 US plants
Speed Read The new rule aims to reduce cancer-causing air pollution in areas like Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Strong Taiwan earthquake kills 9, injures hundreds
Speed Read At magnitude 7.4, this was Taiwan's biggest earthquake in 25 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
EPA sets auto pollution rule that boosts EVs
Speed Read The Biden administration's new rules will push US automakers toward electric vehicles and hybrids
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
More than 150 people dead following earthquake in Nepal
Speed Read The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers continue digging through rubble
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nearly 1,000 birds dead in one night after striking building in Chicago
Speed Read The birds died after colliding with the McCormick Place convention center next to Lake Michigan
By Justin Klawans Published
-
At least 1 dead at Burning Man as thousands remain stranded from flooding
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Earthquake rattles Southern California as Tropical Storm Hilary hits
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published