Authorities warned about two million people to evacuate inland as Hurricane Matthew approached Florida, but some people ignored that warning and chose to stay in their homes.

As the storm approached Cape Canaveral, some found themselves regretting that decision. 

Brevard County Emergency Operations spokesman David Waters told the Associated Press he had spoken to families who said things like: "We're scared. We wish we hadn't stayed."

One family called in to say that the roof "just flew off their home on Merritt Island," Mr Waters said.

Image source, AP

The BBC's Laura Bicker in Florida says the eye of the storm is now just a few miles off the coast of Daytona Beach and the wind and rain are relentless. A buoy in the water near Cape Canaveral has measured 17ft (5m) waves. "There is no electricity here - hundreds of thousands have lost power," she says.

The death toll in Haiti caused by Hurricane Matthew has risen to 478, Reuters quotes officials as saying, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Nasa has released a series of stunning images of Hurricane Matthew seen from space. BBC Earth has put them in a gallery here. You can also follow @BBCEarth on Twitter, external

Image source, NASA

South Carolina's emergency preparedness office has made a fresh appeal for residents to flee coastal areas. Spokesman Derrec Becker said people should evacuate immediately. Forecasters are especially worried about a possible storm surge driven by strong waves.

Image source, AP

As it traveled north-west from Haiti, Hurricane Matthew hit the Bahamas.

The extent of damage and casualties there remains unclear.

In the picture below, Marco Beckford clears a storm drain in Nassau.

Image source, AP

Cape Canaveral is the latest place to bear the brunt of the storm, as Hurricane Matthew skirts the Florida coast. Jeff Piotrowski, a storm chaser from Tulsa, Oklahoma, said power lines, trees and road signs were being brought down. "The winds are ferocious right now. It's fierce," he said. Local resident Sandy Wilk tweeted: "We are seriously ground zero here in Cape Canaveral. Hunkered down, lights flickering, winds are crazy."

This was the location of the storm at 06:00 EDT (10:00 GMT), 

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center are located 25 miles away from the eye of Matthew. 

Image source, Google Maps

The hurricane is currently about 25 miles (40km) off Port Canaveral, Florida, and a wind gust of 100mph has occurred there.

It remains unclear whether Matthew will actually make landfall.

Dr Steven Godby, an expert on natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University, says that if the hurricane continues to "graze" the coast without a direct hit, then Floridians "will be spared the most powerful winds which are wrapped around the storm's inner core".

But even if this is the case, "the north Florida and Georgia coastlines can expect several hours of high winds, enough to cause structural damage and affect power supplies".

Still, the situation remains fluid.

"A wobble to the west by 20-30 miles would bring the most powerful winds around the eye of Matthew ashore," he says.

"Forecasters and the authorities remain concerned about the threat from the storm surge as water is pushed onshore by Matthew, with inundations of 2-3 metres plus large breaking waves possible. The worry is that people living along the coast will underestimate this threat. This coastline has seen a great deal of development and population growth since its last major hurricane and has little experience with a storm of this scale."

The projected landfall for Matthew is being moved further and further north along the Florida coast, Wayne Ruostan, a reporter at the Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, tells the BBC. 

"This storm is strange in that it continues to tease. So no-one knows when, or specifically where, this thing will turn and knock on our door."

South Carolina could be hit by a huge storm surge, the Post and Courier in Charleston reports, causing devastating floods that could put vast low-lying areas under seawater. “Even if it stays offshore, the surge and beach erosion are going to be major factors,” said Norman Levine of the College of Charleston.

Coastal areas in the state of Georgia are continuing to evacuate residents as Hurricane Matthew heads north. Buses have been laid on for those without their own cars and the main Interstate 16 highway in the city of Savannah has been made one way, the Savannah Morning News reports.

Image source, AP

Conservative US blogger Matt Drudge has kicked up a storm by suggesting warnings about Hurricane Matthew are part of a government conspiracy to "exaggerate" climate change.

He claimed the US hurricane centre had a monopoly on data.

Critics said his comments were not only wrong, but dangerous.

According to the Miami Herald, Florida Governor Rick Scott is among those who do not believe that climate change is caused by human activity.

Read more below.

Matt Drudge conspiracy comments kick up storm

BBC World Service

Jean Joseph Lexima speaks to Newsday on the BBC World Service about what he's witnessed.

This is not the first time Florida has faced a powerful hurricane. Here are some major storms that have hit the state in recent years:

• October 2005: Hurricane Wilma Deaths were reported in Haiti, Mexico, Cuba. Struck Florida as a Category Three, killing five people. South Florida suffered widespread damage
• August 2004: Hurricane CharleyStruck Florida as a Category Four, killing nine and causing billions of dollars in property damage
• August 1992: Hurricane Andrew Category Five storm struck South Florida, killing 44 and damaging more than 125,000 houses

Getting supplies to the worst-hit parts of Haiti is proving hard, Holly Frew, from the US aid organisation CARE, told the BBC.

"There's so many roads that have been washed away, so many bridges that have been washed away. We've heard from our teams in the west that they're running out of food, they're running out of money because the banks are offline. It's a huge problem with access being cut off in so many areas where the needs are the greatest."