Florida National Guard Activating Ahead of Hurricane Matthew, Gov. Scott Says

TALLAHASSEE, FL — As Hurricane Matthew continues a trek through the Caribbean Sea as a powerful Category 4 storm, Gov. Rick Scott has activated 200 members of the Florida National Guard with 6,000 more standing by for deployment if they’re needed. On its current projected path, Matthew could impact the Sunshine State at some point on Thursday.

Scott made the deployment announcement on Tuesday while meeting with emergency management officials in the city of Marathon. The 200 guard members being deployed will help with preparedness and response efforts. Scott has also asked law enforcement agencies throughout the state to identify resources for deployment.

The state’s Emergency Response Team is also taking a number of measures to ensure Florida is ready if Hurricane Matthew strikes. Those measure include preparing evacuation routes, lining up support should evacuations become necessary and working with the state’s county-level emergency operation centers to coordinate any required responses. A full listing of preparation actions is available on the governor’s website.

• Keep up with Hurricane Matthew: Download the new Patch news app for real-time notifications.

Scott declared a state of emergency for all counties in Florida Monday as the dangerous storm’s track shifted closer to the peninsula.

As of the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. Oct. 4 update, Matthew was located about 35 miles north-northeast of Tiburon, Haiti. The storm was moving north at 10 mph. The hurricane center anticipates Matthew will take a turn toward the north-northwest by Wednesday. Another shift to the northwest is expected at some point Wednesday night.

With a large swath of Florida in Matthew's potential path, hurricane watches have been issued for the area from Deerfield Beach to the Volusia/Brevard county line. Tropical storm watches are also in effect from the Seven Mile Bridge area in the Florida Keys north to just south of Deerfield Beach. Watches mean that conditions are possible in the designated area, generally within 48 hours.

President Barack Obama’s planned campaign stop on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton set for Wednesday has also been postponed due to the potential threat the storm holds for the state.

To keep up with storm activity as the season develops, bookmark the National Hurricane Center’s website, and keep an eye on your hometown Patch site for local information.

Photo via Gov. Rick Scott's Facebook page