Hurricane Matthew is being hailed as the worst storm to have ever come through the Caribbean with sustained winds of 140 mph and has claimed 140 lives so far. Most of those deaths occurred in Haiti and the others in the Dominican Republic The hurricane remains a Category 4 and is expected to hit Florida, brushing up the state’s east coast beginning this Friday night. That is why President Obama has issued a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida.
The official White House statement is as follows:
“THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2016
President Obama Signs Florida Emergency Declaration
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Matthew beginning on October 3, 2016, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Baker, Brevard, Broward, Citrus, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Indian River, Lake, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Terry L. Quarles as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.”
This news comes along with Florida’s governor Gov. Rick Scott’s warning to the people who choose not to evacuate. “This storm will kill you, “Scott said at a news conference earlier this morning. “This is life and death.”
Well if that isn’t horrifying enough, check out what this FOX News weatherman had to say about Hurricane Matthew
Be safe Roommates!
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Source: http://www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/10/06/hurricane-matthew-latest-news.html
