Florida residents warned that Hurricane Matthew will threaten lives

MIAMI, FL (AP) – Residents along the Southeast coast of Florida are heeding dire warnings that Hurricane Matthew will threaten life and property in the next 24 hours.

Florida is already being battered by rain and wind. Forecasters warn that the Category 4 storm’s interior has sustained winds of 140 mph and will wreak havoc as it moves closer, and then parallels the coastline.

Florida Governor Rick Scott says Matthew should be expected to be deadly. Officials in Georgia and South Carolina have also warned coastal residents to steer clear of the most powerful storm to threaten the Atlantic in a decade.

Experts say the major threat from Hurricane Matthew won’t be it punishing winds, but storm surge. The massive storm will churn up life-threatening flooding long before the storm’s eye nears shore.

The threat extends from Boca Raton in South Florida all the way up into North Carolina. According to the National Hurricane Center, storm surge and rainfall flooding have combined for three-quarters of U.S. deaths from hurricanes, tropical storms and cyclones over the last half-century.