Hurricane Matthew Causes Long Gas Lines in Southeast
NATIONAL REPORT — A state of emergency has been declared in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in advance of Hurricane Matthew, expected to barrel northward up the Southeastern U.S. coastline later this week. These states of emergencies have led to empty shelves at convenience stores and long lines at gas stations in the Southeast.
According to NBC News, Myrtle Beach, S.C., residents stated they couldn't even "get near" a gas station on Oct. 4.
"It was so packed. You couldn'’t even get into the parking lot," said Myrtle Beach resident Michaela Choate.
Hurricane Matthew has packed quite a punch in the Caribbean and Cuba, with reports claiming the natural disaster has already claimed 11 lives. It is unknown how severely the mainland United States will be hit by the storm, but some meteorologists believe it could strike a severe blow.
"We are preparing for the worst, we are hoping for the best and we're not taking any chances," said Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley added that barring a major change in the storm's path, state officials will evacuate 1.1 million of the state's 4.8 million population on the afternoon of Oct. 5.
"We don't do voluntary or mandatory. It is an evacuation," she said at a news conference. "Our goal is to make sure you get 100 miles away from the coast"