More than 800 people have been killed in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic
Matthew is now a Category Two hurricane, as the eye of the storm stays just off Florida coast
Four people have been killed in Florida and more than a million left without power
Flooding could be severe in coastal areas of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina
North Carolina could also be affected as the storm moves north in days ahead
Back to Haiti.The World Food Programme's director for the country, Carlos Veloso, has told the BBC that the only way to get aid to some badly hit areas could be by sea. "There are a lot of small villages along the coast... and it will be very difficult to reach them by road," he said. Officials now say at least 400 people are known to have been killed there.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, AFPHurricane Matthew battered Atlantic Beach, Florida,but some drivers still ventured out
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville tweeted...
Nasa says the storm has caused some roof damage to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Spokesman Brian Dunbar said "water and electrical utilities services have been disrupted and there is scattered debris". The agency says the hurricane has now passed offshore from the cape.
The president urges people to evacuate to higher ground if advised to by authorities.
President Obama adds that storm surges are now the top concern for the authorities.
President Obama says the hurricane is moving past Florida and the area of concern now is north of Jacksonville and the state of Georgia.
President Barack Obama to make statement on Hurricane Matthew from Oval Office later, ABC News reports.
The St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park near Jacksonville in Florida has shared images on Facebook, external of the animals it is sheltering from the passing storm. They include a stork with the caption: "No species discrimination in this bathroom!"
A reporter from WJXT in Jacksonville tweets...
Image source, Google, Reuters
Image source, Google, ReutersA BBC Producer tweets...
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Jacksonville, in north Florida, could face significant flooding, the governor says.
Governor Rick Scott says he has not heard of any fatalities in the state so far.
Florida Rick Scott is giving a press conference. He says 600,000 homes in the state are without power due to Hurricane Matthew.
"Matthew is a very big and very bad beast. And it's not going to go away in the next couple of days," says Clare Nullis of the World Meteorological Organization.
She said the fact that the storm might not make landfall did not mean it was not dangerous:
Quote MessageThe very dangerous thing about this hurricane is that, according to the current tracks, it's not going to make a direct hit on land and then go away. It's rather going to hug the coastline for several days. So that means that the potential for flooding from the very, very heavy rainfall, from the extremely powerful storm surge, it's going to stick around for longer.
Claire Nullis, Spokesperson, World Meterological Organization
In case you missed it earlier, this drone footage shows the extent of devastation in Les Cayes on Haiti's southern coast.
Hurricane Matthew: Haiti's devastation from above
Local authorities and forecasters tweet...
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Robert Tyler had feared a storm surge flooding his street, which is only two blocks from the Cape Canaveral beach, the Associated Press reports. But he and his wife, Georgette, felt fortunate Friday morning when they looked out the front door of their one-story cinder block apartment and there wasn't much water. "Overnight, it was scary as heck,'' he said.