Hurricane Matthew Forces South Carolina Evacuations, School Closings

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday that all coastal communities will be evacuated at least 100 miles inland beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday, as the Category 4 Hurricane Matthew charges toward Florida and prepares to make its way up the Eastern seaboard.

Haley at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday declared a state of emergency for South Carolina, as the state braces for its worst hurricane since Hugo struck in 1989. As of the hurricane center's 2 p.m. Oct. 4 update, Matthew was located about 65 miles east-southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, with 145 mph sustained winds.

Schools in the eastern part of the state will be closed, and lane reversals on major highways and interstates will be in effect to get everyone out of the storm area as quickly as possible, Haley said. The storm isn't expected to reach South Carolina until the weekend.

"You don't want to get caught in this," Haley said. When asked if the evacuation was mandatory or voluntary, she noted, "An evacuation is an evacuation."

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South Carolina evacuation routes include lane reversals on most major routes heading east and west.

The evacuation order will be finalized Wednesday afternoon, Haley said, unless the storm shows a significant shift in its track. The National Guard has planned to help with the South Carolina evacuation, the first since 1999 in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd.

READ MORE: 'Extremely Dangerous' Hurricane Matthew Keeps Florida In Its Sights; 2 Other Storms Loom

Those evacuating should make sure they're leaving with a full tank of gas. Rest areas will be open for breaks and to provide water to evacuees, Haley said.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for all counties as the dangerous storm draws closer. Scott also announced a partial activation of the Florida National Guard in advance of the storm.

While Matthew gets top billing in the tropics, it's not the only storm on the scene. Tropical Storm Nicole officially formed in the late morning hours Tuesday. That storm was located near Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the hurricane center's last update on it. A disturbance also cropped up Tuesday afternoon a few hundred miles east of the Windward Islands.

Graphic courtesy of NOAA