The White House announced that, as Hurricane Matthew strengthened and headed for the US Southeast, President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Florida.

According to the White House announcement, the action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts necessitated by the storm, a Category 4 hurricane packing winds of 220 kmph.

It was the most powerful storm to threaten the US Atlantic coast in more than a decade. It left more than 100 dead in its wake across the Caribbean, Hurricane Matthew steamed toward heavily populated Florida with terrifying winds of 140 mph Thursday, and 2 million people across the Southeast were warned to flee inland.

The hurricane gained fury as it closed in, growing from a possibly devastating Category 3 storm to a potentially catastrophic Category 4 by.

It was expected to scrape nearly the entire length of Florida's Atlantic coast beginning Thursday evening. From there, forecasters said, it was expected to push along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina before veering out to sea.

Millions of people in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia were told to head for safety, and interstate highways were turned into one-way routes to speed the exodus. Scott said Florida could be looking at its biggest evacuation ever.

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Nandini