Sky News :
More than 1.5 million people living in low-lying areas and barrier islands in Florida have been warned to “evacuate, evacuate, evacuate” by Governor Rick Scott as the storm approaches.
In neighbouring Georgia, more than 500,000 people are being moved from the state’s six coastal counties, along with more than 175,000 residents in parts of South Carolina.
The US east coast is bracing for impact after the storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane, with experts predicting “catastrophic damage”.
Matthew has already caused devastation across the Caribbean, with 98 people confirmed dead in Haiti, which has been worst-hit, and more than 3,200 homes destroyed.
Some 21,000 people are seeking help at 152 shelters.
Four other people have died on other islands.
The Haiti government has estimated at least 350,000 people assistance following the disaster.
Aid groups are appealing for donations for a lengthy recovery effort to help the country’s worst humanitarian crisis since the earthquake of 2010.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel says the UK will be sending a team of humanitarian experts to boost the effort.
“Homes have been destroyed, loved ones have been lost and people’s livelihoods shattered. The British people will be there for those in need,” she said.
The hurricane is expected to hit the US east coast on Thursday night.
Even if it does not make landfall, it should still get close enough to wreak havoc along the lower part of the coast.
The last Category 3 storm or higher to hit the US was Wilma in October 2005, which killed five people, caused billions of dollars in damage and left thousands of residents without power for more than a week.
Matthew is now less than 300 miles south east of West Palm Beach and moving north west at 12mph (19kph), according to the National Hurricane Centre.
The National Hurricane Centre says it is “very difficult to specify impacts at any one location”, although Florida can expect as much as 10ins of rain in some isolated areas.
