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As Hurricane Matthew Nears U.S.,
Residents Get Warning: PrepareThe Latest
• Hurricane Matthew, a deadly storm with maximum sustained winds of more than 110 miles per hour, was forecast to start inflicting significant rain and wind damage in southern Florida beginning late Thursday, and in Georgia by late Friday, with the storm expected to strengthen to Category 4 from Category 3 as it approaches Florida.
• “Hurricane conditions” are expected in much of the Bahamas; Lake Okeechobee, Fla.; and a long coastal stretch of the United States that includes Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and St. Augustine in Florida, and Jekyll Island off Georgia, the National Hurricane Center announced at 5 a.m. The eye of the storm was expected to pass near Grand Bahama Island late Thursday and move “very close to the east coast of the Florida peninsula” Thursday evening through Friday night.
• The governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina declared emergencies, and more than 7,800 National Guard soldiers were activated or placed on alert.
• New York Times journalists assigned to cover the storm include Azam Ahmed, Mexico City bureau chief; Lizette Alvarez in Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Nick Madigan in Miami; Frances Robles in Cocoa Beach, Fla.; Les Neuhaus in Jacksonville, Fla.; Alan Blinder in Atlanta; Richard Fausset in Charleston, S.C.; and Jess Bidgood in Wilmington, N.C.
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