'This will kill you' Two million flee advance of killer Hurricane Matthew

Storm will track along Florida coast to Georgia.

"This storm will kill you," Florida Gov. Rick Scott is warning people to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The storm is now leaving the Bahamas and will strike Florida this evening. It is expected to follow a path up the Florida coast. Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas have begun cleanup operations.

em>UPDATE: 142 deaths: 136 Haiti; 4 Dominican Republic; 1 St. Vincent; 1 Columbia; 0 Cuba. Matthew upgraded to category 4. (1:00 p.m. EDT)

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Hurricane Matthew has been downgraded to category 3, but is expected to be upgraded again to category 4 by the time it reaches Florida. Measurements reveal the storm has sustained winds of 125 MPH. The outer rain bands have already reached Florida. Mass evacuations have been ordered. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has warned, "This storm will kill you."

Hurricane Matthew is expected to track up the Florida coast, with the eye of the storm brushing the Florida beaches. Hurricane force winds are extending outward from the center of the storm by about 40 miles. Tropical-storm-force winds are extending 160 miles out.

Thursday night and Friday will be the worst for Florida as the storm moves slowly north during that period. Forecasts then predict Matthew will turn out to sea, then become almost stationary, swirling far off the Carolina coast. High waves and other impacts will continue to be felt for the next several days as the storm blows itself out offshore.

Storm surges are reportedly large with Matthew. In the Bahamas, surges are up to 15 feet above high tide level. In Florida, the surges may be up to five feet over high tide level, according to NOAA. The agency warns that normally dry areas will be flooded during the storm, so people need to prepare or evacuate now.

(France)

Florida could see up to 12 inches to rain in places, and isolated instances of 15 inches. Most of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina can expect between 4 and 8 inches.

People who live along the Florida east coast need to evacuate immediately.

Evacuations may also be required in Georgia and in places in South Carolina.

In Cuba, several communities were particularly hard hit with homes and apartment buildings largely destroyed. However, the country succeeded in protecting its people and no fatalities have been reported.

In Haiti, people living on small islands around the country were evacuated to the mainland. Matthew has taken a terrible toll on the people there, but few details are known. The death toll is expected to rise substantially. The U.S. is dispatching aid to Haiti with the Navy in support.

Four people were killed in the Dominican Republic.

One person has been killed in St. Vincent, and another in Colombia.

There are no reports from the Bahamas at this time.

In the U.S., some two million people live in the present evacuation zone and have been asked to leave.

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