十余年最强飓风逼近 佛州公路上恐慌一幕

高速公路上一望无边的撤离车流

一场破坏力惊人的飓风—— 马修飓风（Hurricane Matthew）——正朝着佛罗里达州和南卡罗来纳州扑来。东南海岸数百万人将受到影响。周三，政府敦促那里的居民做好撤离准备。

据路透社报道，马修正在蹂躏巴赫马群岛。气象预报称，它会在周四较晚时分登陆佛罗里达，届时那里会有狂风暴雨和滔天巨浪（视频）。国家飓风中心（NHC）说， 马修或成为2005 年威尔玛（Wilma） 飓风以来第一个登陆美国的威力惊人的强力飓风。

佛罗里达州长斯科特（Rick Scott ）敦促那些处于容易遭遇风暴破坏地区的居民提前疏散，尽管正式的疏散令还未下达。

斯科特在新闻发布会上说： “我们必须做好准备，迎接毁灭性飓风的到来。”

他又说，马修移动路径的些微偏差都会给佛州带来巨大影响。

东南沿海几个州的州长都宣布所在州进入紧急状态，包括佛罗里达、南卡罗来纳、北卡罗来纳和佐治亚。

周三，奥巴马总统说，联邦政府已将救援队伍和物资准备就绪。

奥巴马接获联邦紧急事务管理局（Federal Emergency Management Agency）的简报后说： “我要对公众强调，这场风暴非同小可。它在扑向佛罗里达的途中正在不断地积聚能量。”

奥巴马要求民众听从政府发出的任何疏散命令。

据设立在迈阿密的NHC 披露，马修目前的分级为三级风暴， 其最大持续风速周三早晨已经达到近每小时120 英里。

NHC 又说，在未来几天中， 马修的风力强度还会有些许增加。现在要预报马修会在哪里造成最严重的破坏还为时尚早。

NHC 在其警示通告中说：“当预报的飓风运行轨迹大体与海岸线平行时，就像马修那样循着海岸线从佛罗里达向南卡州移动那样，要想具体预测那个地方会受到冲击将十分困难。”

它指出：“NHC 预报的飓风移动轨迹只需向左有些许偏差， 就会令该严重飓风的核心部分登上海岸而进入佛罗里达的飓风警报区。但如果向右偏一点，飓风带来的强风则会处于离岸位置。”

周三，佛罗里达州长又启用了另外300 名佛州的国民警卫队员。加上原来已被征召的200 人， 共有500 位国民卫队成员待命。

佛州有数个学区取消了周四和周五的课。有些学校周三就提前让学生放学回家了。

在南卡州，预计有25 万海岸地区的居民将被疏散。

周三，一些容易受到飓风袭击的地区的数千居民已经开始撤离，导致公路交通拥塞长达数小时。

该州46 个县中有26 个县的学校和县政府已经“歇业”，时间将持续到本周五。

Local law enforcement works, with members of the National Guard to keep an evacuation route clear on I-26 during preparations for the expected arrival of Hurricane Matthew in Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday

One way traffic: Cars can be seen on just one side of the road stretching back for miles along the Florida highway on Thursday

Evacuations began yesterday in Charleston where dozens of buses with the Greenville, South Carolina school district waited for word when to began ferrying people out of North Charleston

More than two million people in the US have been urged to evacuate their homes before Hurricane Matthew hits the East Coast tonight (people walk along Miami Beach, Florida, October 6)

The hurricane, which is currently battering the Bahamas, is set to strike Florida this evening and move up the East Coast

Miami Beach already seems to be suffering high winds and rain today as the Category Four storm approaches

This NOAA-NASA Goes East project satellite image shows Hurricane Matthew today in the Caribbean; some 1.5 million people are under evacuation orders in Florida in preparation for Matthew to make a direct hit on the state

Brace yourselves: Matthew is expected to hit the south of Florida with winds of up to 145mph in the early hours of Friday; as it moves up the coast it will gradually lose speed but will still be as high as 110mph on Saturday morning

Forecasters predict Matthew has strengthened to a Category Four hurricane, with speeds of more than 140mph

South Carolina has told about a quarter million people to leave the coast and Gov. Nikki Haley says she currently plans to order more evacuations for two more counties Thursday, bringing the total to about 500,000 people

In the eye of the storm: Most of Florida's east coast, along with the Bahamas has been placed on a Hurricane Warning

Hurricane Matthew has strengthened to a Category Four with wind speeds of 140mph, and could cause surges of up to 11 feet in some areas in Florida

The creepy image, appears to show a white grinning skull, with a glowing red eye, flicked with green at its very center. It appeared in a weather map of the storm as it hit landfall in Haiti on Wednesday

National Guard Staff Sargent Reggie McCall gives instructions to guard units 1782 and 172 before the deploy for duty in Conway, South Carolina

This US Navy photo shows Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)as it departs Naval Station Mayport in preparation of Hurricane Matthew's arrival onto Florida's eastern coast on October 5, 2016

Moving on: The storm battered the Bahamas with 125 mph winds on Thursday morning as it continued on its destructive path towards the US

Hurricane Matthew moved through Paradise Island, backdropped by Paradise Island bridge in Nassau, Bahamas, Thursday

The head of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Authority, Capt. Stephen Russell, said there were many downed trees and power lines, but no reports of casualties as Matthew blew through Nassau on the island

People listen to an update on Hurricane Matthew after spending a night on beach chairs in a ballroom at the Melia Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas October 6

Daytona Beach's boardwalk is barren except for one person as the threat of the Category Four storm sends Florida residents fleeing inland

There is barely a car in sight on the streets surrounding Daytona Beach in Florida on Thursday - a few hours before the hurricane is due to hit there

Clouds cover the sky over the beach near the empty Daytona Beach Boardwalk and Pier in Florida ahead of Hurricane Matthew on Thursday

Ray Hayyat hauls sandbags to his store to protect against floodwaters in Daytona Beach, Florida where hundreds of thousands of anxious people boarded up their homes and businesses and grabbed a few belongings to flee inland

Danny Askins and Brenden Kavana (R) put up hurricane shutters as they prepare the Sandwiches Sea restaurant as Hurricane Matthew approaches the area on October 6, in Delray Beach, Florida

Zeno Louizes spray paints markings on his three stores along the Boardwalk and Pier Thursday, in Daytona Beach, Florida

Homeowner Don Appell prepares to board up one of the windows at his home ahead of Hurricane Matthew in Cherry Grove, South Carolina, October 6,

The entire East Coast, up to Virginia, is braced for the approaching hurricane (pictured, a bulldozer creates a sand barrier in Virginia Beach, Virginia)

A person walks along the windswept Miami Beach in Florida today prior to the arrival of Hurricane Matthew this evening

A lone loaf of bread sits on an empty shelf at a Wal-Mart supermarket in Kissimmee, Florida, after residents rushed to stock up on the essentials ahead of the storm today

People purchase supplies to protect their homes at a local Home Depot in Kissimmee, Florida, in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Matthew, on October 6

South Florida residents prepare for Hurricane Matthew by purchasing plywood at Home Depot on October 6, in Miami

Completely empty: This supermarket in Florida has been stripped completely clean by residents either fleeing or bedding down and waiting for the storm to hit