http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/us/millions-flee-or-brace-as-hurricane-matthew-barrels-toward-florida.html 2016-10-07 03:34:34 Millions Flee or Brace as Hurricane Matthew Barrels Toward Florida People fled inland or barricaded themselves in their homes on Thursday to escape what could be dangerous flooding, blackouts and 140-mile-per-hour winds. === TITUSVILLE, Fla. — As Hurricane Matthew barreled toward Central Florida, the most powerful storm to hit the region in decades, millions of people fled inland or barricaded themselves inside their homes on Thursday to escape what could be dangerous flooding, widespread blackouts and 140-mile-per-hour wind capable of turning debris into deadly missiles. The storm had already left a terrifying wake in Haiti, where the death toll, still preliminary, There were hundreds injured, and the authorities acknowledged that the true extent of the toll was unknown. With the hurricane now bearing down on Florida, there were mileslong traffic jams of residents struggling to get to safety after Gov. Rick Scott As anxiety grew throughout the day and night, local officials distributed leaflets and pounded on doors at Several hours after the evacuation order, the governor was still pleading with residents to heed warnings about the Category 4 storm before rising waters cut them off from escape routes. “It might be the difference between life and death,” he said. “I think we still have people that are not taking this seriously enough.” As it surged across the Caribbean in recent days, Hurricane Matthew was particularly hard on Haiti, where the destruction forced postponement of a national election and raised concerns about a repeat of what happened to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, when contaminated water supplies spread disease, claiming still more lives. The hurricane also battered eastern Cuba, and on Thursday, it tore through the Bahamas, where floodwaters and fallen trees cut off many communities and left much of the archipelago without power. By Thursday afternoon, rain, wind, and high waves were already pounding much of Florida, where a smattering of surfers ignored warnings to stay away from beaches and took to the water. Hurricane-force wind extended up to 60 miles from the storm’s center. Forecasters and government officials said this could be Forecasters said that Hurricane Matthew, moving to the northwest, would make landfall, or just skirt the coast, on Friday morning in Central Florida, with the strongest winds expected in Brevard and Volusia Counties. Then it was expected to power its way north along the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina shores, before turning back out to sea. That path would put coastal population centers like Daytona Beach and Jacksonville in Florida; Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; and even inland Florida cities like Orlando and Gainesville, in serious danger. A hurricane warning was in effect in an area stretching more than 400 miles, from northern Miami-Dade County, Fla., to South Santee River, S.C., and severe weather was expected into North Carolina. On Thursday, 500,000 people in Georgia and 250,000 in South Carolina were told to evacuate. “We’re going to have a lot of power outages, and it’s not going to come back on in one day,” Mr. Scott said. “Millions are going to lose power.” The National Weather Service issued a stream of dire warnings, trying to impress upon people that, even in a region accustomed to hurricanes, the fury bearing down on them was worse than anything most of them had seen. Storm surges of seven to 11 feet were predicted to inundate barrier islands and other low-lying areas, with breaking waves up to 18 feet high pounding the shore. “Extremely dangerous, life-threatening weather conditions are forecast in the next 24 hours,” the Weather Service warned. “Airborne debris lofted by extreme winds will be capable of breaching structures, unprotected windows and vehicles.” President Obama At an Ace Hardware store in Titusville, near Cape Canaveral, people bought supplies to board up their homes, but the shoppers who lined up to buy generators were too late. Each of the machines had a handwritten note stuck to it: “Sold.” “No. 1 item? Oh my God, generators,” said Donna Halt, the store administrator. “That, and D and C batteries. The store manager, Michael Martin, who had arranged for a rented U-Haul to bring more supplies from Tampa to his depleted store, said that chain saws and sandbags were also hot items. He ran out of sandbags quickly, and sand was in short supply, too, he said. “We tell people to dig a hole in your backyard,” he said. “Fill bags, use them in the entry ways of your house.” People who live along the shore streamed into Imperial Estates Elementary School in Titusville, one of the shelter sites in Brevard County, clutching suitcases, water bottles and favorite pillows. Lois Paul, 78, said she had evacuated three times in 2004, for Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne, but she was taking no chances. “This one can blow your house away,” she said. “The worst part is not knowing what’s going on there while you’re away. You just don’t know what you’re going to find when you get home.” In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Donna Owens, 52, and Ron Fletcher, 53, transplanted Virginians who had never been through a hurricane, were taking no chances, joining the crowd that flocked to a Walmart to load up with provisions. Their shopping cart was stacked with milk, lanterns and extension cords, and their home was already stocked with food and ice, the windows were shuttered, and the generator was ready to go. “I’m going home to cook meatloaf,” Ms. Owens said. “Nothing is better than leftover meatloaf.” In Charleston, workers boarded up the windows of the graceful 1801-era City Hall, the Confederate Museum, hotels, graceful antebellum homes, and businesses from the high end to the low. On Queen Street, a few blocks from the waterfront, Lese Corrigan, 59, was busy boarding up her art gallery, and with red paint and a fat brush, she wrote a paean to the hurricane aesthetic on the plywood: “NATURE ART MAKES.” A few blocks away, in the lobby of the Market Pavilion Hotel, Heath and Caroline Ruder, newlyweds, wheeled their luggage toward the front door, their best-laid nuptial plans blown away. It was time to take the honeymoon elsewhere — to Las Vegas, Mr. Ruder said. “Somewhere where the weather can’t get you.”