Hurricane Matthew: Huge tailbacks and roads GRIDLOCKED as 2MILLION told to flee homes
MILLIONS evacuating Florida,Georgia and South Carolina today to avoid Hurricane Matthew’s deadly path will be faced by huge tailbacks and gridlocked roads as families desperately try to head west.
Queues of up to 24 hours have stretched west-bound out of Florida
As the tropical storm sets its sights on the US east coast, more than two million people have already been urged to evacuate their homes.
Even more evacuations are likely to follow, as state officials caution residents not to hunker down at home and instead get out while they can as the life-threatening storm makes its way past the Bahamas.
Early this morning, the category three hurricane was just 100 miles from the Bahamas capital of Nassau - and only 300 miles from West Palm Beach in Florida.
So far, the death toll has soared to 26 - with the majority killed living in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic.
Florida residents prepare for Hurricane Matthew
Homes and business have been reduced to rubble in Haiti
Rescue workers have rushed to the already-hit areas in both Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba, where homes have been reduced to rubble and thousands have been displaced.
Mourad Wahba, the UN special representative for Haiti, said at least 10,000 people were in shelters and hospitals were overflowing.
Interior Minister Francois Anick Joseph said: “What we know is that many, many houses have been damaged. Some lost rooftops and they'll have to be replaced, while others were totally destroyed."
Rescue workers have rushed to the already-hit areas in Haiti
Among the damaged buildings were schools and churches, due to be used as polling stations in Haiti’s much delayed elections.
Now US President Barack Obama has warned the coming days will be dangerous ones and has urged Americans to heed official advice and leave if they have the chance.
Hurricane Matthew is expected to hit southern Florida sometime this evening, before moving its way up the eats coast towards South Carolina and North Carolina.
Lanes have been reversed so more people can get out of south Carolina
The two-hour drive from Charleston to Columbia has still turned into a 24-hour trek
Florida Governor Rick Scott said his state could be facing its “biggest evacuation ever” after declare a state-wide emergency.
He said: “I cannot emphasise enough that everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit.
“That means people have less than 24 hours to prepare, evacuate and shelter. Having a plan in place could mean the difference between life and death.”
The vibe on the street this morning is pre-panic. By tomorrow, it should just be a brawl.
His spokesman, Jackie Schutz, said it is believed around 1.5 million residents have been told to evacuate their homes in Florida alone.
In South Carolina, Governor Nikki Haley said 250,000 people would be evacuated from coastal areas.
But even more evacuations have been planned for today, with another 250,000 people due to pack up and leave as the storm slowly approaches.
Florida gov. warns of 'devastating' impacts as Matthew nears
Forecasters predicted Matthew will strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane, with speeds of more than 130mph by the times it hits.
Now around two million people have left their homes - although some have found this more difficult than others.
Traffic in some areas is backed up for miles with most main roads out of affected areas gridlocked thanks to the mass exodus.
Shelves have been emptied of vital goods such as water
Sarah Boessenecker, who was travelling from south Carolina with her husband to stay with a friend in Atalanta, told NBC News: “It was bumper to bumper and fairly slow for about 30 to 40 miles on either side of I-95.
“However, people were very friendly and easygoing — no honking or impatience.
“People seemed to know the drill and understand that traffic was going to be bad and had accepted it.”
Lydia Dalton said it took her family a “long time to get out of Charleston” - even though she thought they had left “way ahead of everyone else.”
Petrol stations have been drained of fuel as residents queue before fleeing their homes
Fuel has been rinsed as families prepare their cars to head west
In Carolina, lanes have been reversed to allow for the huge influx of people fleeing the coast and surrounding areas.
But the typical two-hour drive from Charleston to Columbia has still turned into a 24-hour trek, as cars sit practically parked on the tarmac thanks to the traffic.
US airlines have cancelled more than 2,500 flights in the last two days, with american Airlines cancelling the most - and Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports most affected.
Coastal regions in Florida and the Carolinas have become ghost towns after the mandatory evacuations, as residents board up homes and businesses to protect them from the winds of more than 100mph.
Rain floods the Bahamas as Hurricane Matthew approaches
Anxious east coast residents who plan to remain in their homes have rushed out to buy emergency supplies, flocking to hardware stores and gas stations as they prepare for the storm to hit.
Randy Jordan, Florida resident, said people were shoving each other and fighting in the aisles as they raced to buy last minute supplies.
He said: “The vibe on the street this morning is pre-panic. By tomorrow, it should just be a brawl.”
Images and videos taken at the scene show shopping trolleys packed high was gasoline, bottled water and tinned foods - with queues several people deep at each cashier’s till.
So far 26 have been killed in Hurricane Matthew, including four in landslides
Bahamas streets DESERTED following Hurricane Matthew
The vibe on the street this morning is pre-panic. By tomorrow, it should just be a brawl.
Simone Corrado found the shelves had been ransacked when she wet out with her husband in Fort Lauderdale.
Shelves have been emptied of vital goods - while hardware stores have seen a dive for wooden sheets as people prepare to board up their windows and doors.
She said: “I got scared because all that was left at Publix was just the pricey water.
“They really put the fear into you here. On the television screen every few minutes is the 'beep, beep, beep' storm alert.”
Hardware stores have seen a rush for wooden boards
Citizens prepare to board up their windows and doors
Much of Florida is now under a Hurricane Warning, according to the National Hurricane Centre, meaning hurricane strength winds are expected within 36 hours.
Hurricane Matthew also could cause significant beach erosion all along the Atlantic coast, according to AccuWeather.
The last storm to hit the Atlantic side of Florida was Hurricane Katrina, which struck in 2005 on its way to devastating the Gulf coast.
Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?