It was announced Tuesday, Oct. 4 that school would be closed Oct. 6-7 due to oncoming Hurricane Matthew. The Category 4 hurricane went through Nassau, Bahamas and Haiti Oct. 6 with winds of over 130 mph. Then, Hurricane Matthew started to run parallel to Florida’s east coast with winds over 100 mph.
Hurricane Matthew did catastrophic damage in Haiti leaving over 478 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed. As it moved closer to Florida, President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency. Florida residents were advised to stock up on supplies, prepare their homes and stay indoors or evacuate until the hurricane passes. Multiple Publix Supermarket locations throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties ran low on goods such as bread, canned fruit, vegetables and bottled water.
As Hurricane Matthew made its way to South Florida it remained a Category 4, but by the time it reached North Florida Oct. 7, it decreased to a Category 3. With winds at 115 mph, the hurricane continues to threaten cities such as Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
According to the National Weather Service, the hurricane is predicted to continue moving along the coast and hit Georgia and South Carolina next. Hurricane Matthew will slowly decrease in power and will become a Category 2 by the time it reaches South Carolina Oct. 8. It is also predicted that Hurricane Matthew will loop back around into the Atlantic starting Oct. 9.
The National Weather Service releases updates on Hurricane Matthew every hour. You can see the updates at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/034341.shtml?5-daynl.
School will resume Monday, Oct. 10.
