Hurricane heading for Bahamas and Florida

Cars are seen along Deerfield beach near Coral Springs while Hurricane Matthew approaches in Florida, U.S. October 5, 2016.
Image by: HENRY ROMERO / REUTERS

Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in almost a decade, powered towards the Bahamas and Florida early yesterday after battering Haiti and Cuba with torrential rains. At least 10 people were killed.

South Carolina governor Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and ordered the evacuation of more than 1million people yesterday afternoon.

The hurricane, which the UN said created the worst humanitarian crisis to hit struggling Haiti since a devastating 2010 earthquake, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 230km/h winds on Tuesday, pummelling towns, farmland and resorts.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated.