Matthew reached the coast as a Category 3 hurricane on Friday. The designation means winds were measured between 111 and 129 mph and the storm – although weakened from the Category 4 hurricane it was as it spun through the Caribbean – had the capacity to cause devastating damage.
In a release, the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center warned that homes and buildings in Central Florida "may be uninhabitable for weeks or months."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory have declared states of emergency. President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency in Georgia early Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, joining South Carolina and Florida.
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