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Hurricane Matthew passes through North Florida, Georgia

Published: Updated:
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — Below is an updated time-stamp of news, events and other happenings related to Hurricane Matthew.

If you want to report price gouging:
Those with a Florida area code: Call 866-966-7226
Those without a Florida area code: Complete this form

If you have business and insurance inquiries:
  • Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center is available here. 
  • If you have questions storm related to businesses and want to request information, the Private Sector Hotline is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 850-410-1403.
  • For inquiries about insurance coverage, call the Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services helpline at 1-877-693-5236.
  • For locating Florida’s property insurance company’s website and contact information, click here.

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10:56 p.m.
Hurricane Nicole has now weakened to a tropical storm with 60 mph winds.

10:05 p.m.
WINK News brings the latest footage from Jacksonville and St. Augustine.

This video is not available.

9:54 p.m.
This huge tree was uprooted in Jacksonville during Hurricane Matthew.

8:24 p.m.
Hurricane Matthew is predicted to move over North Florida and Georgia through tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. advisory.

7:56 p.m.
More than 180 shelters throughout Florida are open tonight helping over 23,800 people, according to Governor Rick Scott. Shelters are open in the following counties:

  • Baker: 1 shelter (special needs)
  • Bradford: 2 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Brevard: 17 shelters (7 special needs)
  • Broward: 11 shelters (2 special needs)
  • Clay: 4 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Columbia: 3 shelters
  • Duval: 11 shelters (4 special needs)
  • Flagler: 2 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Glades: 2 shelters (special needs)
  • Hardee: 1 shelter (1 special needs)
  • Hendry: 2 shelters
  • Highlands: 1 shelter
  • Hillsborough: 4 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Indian River: 6 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Lake: 5 shelters (3 special needs)
  • Lee: 2 shelters
  • Leon: 1 shelter
  • Madison: 1 shelter
  • Manatee: 1 shelter (1 special needs)
  • Martin: 7 shelters (2 special needs)
  • Miami-Dade: 5 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Nassau: 5 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Okeechobee: 3 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Orange: 2 shelters
  • Osceola: 5 shelters
  • Palm Beach: 15 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Pinellas: 1 shelter
  • Polk: 7 shelters (2 special needs)
  • Putnam: 1 shelter (1 special needs)
  • St. Lucie: 7 shelters (1 special needs)
  • Seminole: 6 shelters (2 special needs)
  • Sumter: 1 shelter
  • Volusia: 4 (4 special needs)

6:55 p.m.
Not even Hurricane Matthew could stop this couple from sailing to Fort Myers for the Pirates Festival on Fort Myers Beach.

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6:17 p.m.
An estimated 2,200 complaints have come into the Florida Attorney General’s office in relation to price gouging since a state of emergency was declared for Hurricane Matthew.

Among those complaints were two claims that the Travel Lodge on South Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers increased their nightly rate by more than double the quoted reservation price.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi issued the following statement:

“I am working diligently with my Consumer Protection Division to investigate price gouging complaints, and anyone who suspects price gouging during this declared state of emergency should contact my office immediately. People should not take advantage of our fellow Floridians, especially during a crisis.”

Complaints of price gouging can be reported to the Florida Attorney general online or call toll free from a Florida phone number to 1-866-966-7266.

If you or anyone you know has a tip about price gouging email WINK News investigative reporter Lauren Sweeney at Lauren.sweeney@winknews.com or reach out on Facebook or Twitter.

6:00 p.m.
Over one million people currently don’t have power. These are the hardest hit counties, according to floridadisaster.org.

  • Brevard County: 64 percent (195,054 people)
  • Flagler County: 103 percent (58,566 people)
  • Putnam County: 62 percent (25,461 people)
  • Seminole County: 53 percent (28,420 people)
  • St. Johns County: 72 percent (63,470 people)
  • Volusia County: 92 percent (257,718 people)

5:45 p.m.
A fourth person has died from Hurricane Matthew. A Putnam County woman was killed after a tree fell on her trailer, WJAX reports.

5:24 p.m.
WINK News shows some of most trending social media posts of Hurricane Matthew.

This video is not available.

4:50 p.m.
Matthew has weakened into a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is still dangerous and is located just 40 miles off the coast of Jacksonville Beach. Matthew is expected to continue to weaken, but still remain a hurricane.

Video shows water gushing onto the streets of Jacksonville Beach.

4:20 p.m.
A third Hurricane Matthew-related fatality was reported in Volusia County. The first and second fatalities occurred in St. Lucie County, according to St. Lucie County Fire and Rescue.

The first death was a 58-year-old woman who died of a heart attack in her Indian River Estates home. Rescues crews couldn’t respond in time due to high wind gusts.

The second death involved an 82-year-old man who had to be taken in someone’s car to the hospital, where he eventually died. An emergency call was made around 3:30 a.m. Friday morning but emergency crews couldn’t get to his house because of the storm.

4:08 p.m.
Hurricane-force winds from Matthew knock down a power line on Galveston Avenue in Jacksonville.

Winds also uprooted this tree from a Jacksonville yard.

4:00 p.m.
WINK News had the latest on Hurricane Matthew with extensive team coverage.

This video is not available.

3:00 p.m.
More than a million people are without power in the state. The 1,057,993 people represent 10 percent of Floridian customers, according to the latest report from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

2:45 p.m.
St. Augustine, Florida, Mayor Nancy Shaver says the 451-year-old city is experiencing widespread flooding from Hurricane Matthew. The Category 3 storm battered the city much of Friday with waves and storm surge that could top 8 feet.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Shaver said the flooding “is just going to get higher and higher and higher.”

The mayor said roughly half of St. Augustine’s 14,000 residents chose to stay in their homes. No injuries or deaths had been reported as of Friday afternoon, but the mayor said it will be several hours before authorities can get out and begin damage assessments.

– The Associated Press

2:24 p.m.
Gov. Scott’s motorcade arrived in Brevard County where authorities will begin to survey hurricane damages.

2:00 p.m.
Hurricane Matthew is moving north-northwest along the coast of Flagler County at 12 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. The storm is expected to weaken, but remain a hurricane through the weekend.

1:42 p.m.
Humans aren’t the only ones hunkering down as Hurricane Matthew batters Florida. A stork has apparently found refuge in a zoo bathroom.

This Oct. 6, 2016, photo provided by the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park shows a marabou stork in a restroom at the facility in St. Augustine, Fla. The zoo said it moved all of its birds and mammals inside ahead of Hurricane Matthew's arrival. (Gen Anderson/St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park via AP)
(Gen Anderson/St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park via AP)

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park has shared a photo of a marabou stork inside a bathroom at the facility. The zoo’s Facebook page jokes in the caption, “No species discrimination in this bathroom!” – an apparent reference to a law in North Carolina that obligates students to use public school bathrooms conforming to the gender on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity.

The stork isn’t the only animal taking cover from the storm. The zoo also shared photos of young alligators swimming indoors in plastic tubs and other birds walking around freely inside a building.

The zoo says it has moved all of its birds and mammals inside.

– The Associated Press

1:05 p.m.
The Kennedy Space Center is preparing to assess damage from Hurricane Matthew now that the storm has passed Cape Canaveral. Winds are still strong and crews won’t be dispatched until they slow to speeds below 57 mph, according to a Facebook post. A formal team will survey the damages Saturday.

12:15 p.m.
The number of Florida residents without power has increased. Matthew has knocked out power for 826,920 people, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The number is up from morning reports by more than 200,000 customers. Now 8 percent of the state does not have power.

There are several counties where the majority of residents are without power. The counties hardest hit are:

  • Volusia County: 78 percent (219,308 people)
  • Flagler County: 69 percent (39,261 people)
  • Indian River County: 67 percent (59,244 people)
  • Brevard County: 61 percent (186,999 people)

12:11 p.m.
Gov. Rick Scott is asking the federal government to declare a major disaster for Florida in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. On Thursday, President Barack Obama granted the request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration.

Now Gov. Scott is asking that the government step in to help families, state agencies and local government. He has also called for state housing for utility crews.

12:00 p.m.
WINK News has the latest coverage of Hurricane Matthew’s impact in Cape Canaveral, Melbourne and West Palm Beach.

This video is not available.

11:44 a.m.
People are responding to the call for volunteers. Volunteer Florida, a leader in coordinating citizens’ response to disasters, reports that 681 people have registered to help with Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts.

11:35 a.m.
Two Southwest Florida shelters are closing after serving hundreds of evacuees from the state’s east coast. Alico Arena hosted as many as 260 people Thursday night. The Estero Recreation Center served 100 people and their 34 pets. Lee County spokesperson Tim Engstrom said the last of the evacuees are packing up to return home.

11:28 a.m.
A state of emergency has been declared for Virginia ahead of Hurricane Matthew.

11:25 a.m.
Bridges in northeast Florida have been closed. One bridge in Jacksonville has been closed while all bridges have been shut down in St. Johns County, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.

11:00 a.m.
Matthew will remain a hurricane until Sunday when it travels away from the United States, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as the western part of its eyewall grazes past the coast of Daytona Beach.

A hurricane warning has been extended northward into North Carolina.

10:37 a.m.
There were 593,875 people without power throughout Florida as of 9 p.m., according to numbers provided by Gov. Rick Scott.

10:25 a.m.
A St. Lucie County woman, 58, has died of a storm-related heart attack, according to WPEC. Crews were unable to respond to the emergency call because it happened as Matthew was slamming the area with 70 mph winds around 1:30 a.m. Friday, reports say.

EMS and fire crews suspended their emergency response for the safety of crew members. The St. Lucie Fire District resumed services around 6:30 a.m.

9 a.m.
These twitter videos depict strong winds, waves and electrical issues as a result of Hurricane Matthew.

8:15 a.m.

As the sun rises, the damage from Hurricane Matthew is becoming more clear:

8 a.m.

Hurricane Matthew is “hugging” the eastern central Florida coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

The slow-moving Category 3 storm is 35 miles north-northwest of Cape Canaveral, traveling at 13 mph.

7:54 a.m.

Naples Pier is closed Friday due to strong winds, according to the Naples Harbormaster.

7 a.m.

Hurricane Matthew’s eyewall is brushing Cape Canaveral as wind gusts of 107 mph have been recorded, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is now 35 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral.

 

5:45 a.m.

WINK Weather Meteorologist Matt Devitt’s latest update from Melbourne:

This video is not available.

 

5 a.m.

Hurricane Nicole remains a Category 2 with 100 mph winds.

Hurricane Matthew remains a Category 3 with 120 mph winds. It is now just offshore of the Florida coast as its western eyewall approaches Cape Canaveral.

4:37 a.m.

4:23 a.m.

More than 274,000 FPL customers are without power. Here are the hardest affected counties:

  • Palm Beach – 67,690
  • Martin – 39,600
  • Brevard – 65,90
  • St. Lucie – 36,680
  • Indian River – 26,810

Only 100 FPL customers are without power in Southwest Florida counties – 40 each in Lee and Collier, and 10 each in Hendry and Glades.

3:52 a.m.

WINK Weather Meteorologist Matt Devitt is in Melbourne, where the wind makes the rain feel “almost like needles.”

This video is not available.

 

3:44 a.m.
More than 246,000 customers are now without power, according to FPL:

  • Brevard – 35,190
  • Flagler – 2,410
  • Indian River – 22,450
  • Martin – 36,110
  • Glades – 10
  • Okeechobee – 390
  • Seminole – 250
  • St. Lucie – 31,210
  • Volusia – 3,720
  • Broward – 12,340
  • Palm Beach – 83,810
  • Charlotte – 10
  • Collier – 40
  • De Soto – 0
  • Hendry – 10
  • Lee – 40
  • Highlands – 0
  • Sarasota – 280
  • Miami-Dade – 16,850

Total – 246,860

3:24 a.m.

Sustained winds of 49 mph and gusts of 71 mph were reported in Vero Beach, and similar wind strength was reported in Melbourne, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Matthew is now 65 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral.

3:03 a.m.

Social media has been abuzz with pictures and videos from inside Hurricane Matthew:

3:03 AM Hurricane Mathew

A video posted by Enrique Soza (@apolo1001) on

2:26 a.m.
There are several local shelters still available to evacuees who weren’t able to find a hotel.

Lee County:

  • Alico Arena
  • Estero Recreation Center (pet friendly)

Glades County:

  • West Glades School (special needs)
  • Moore-Haven Middle-High School

Hendry County:

  • Clewiston Middle School
  • LaBelle Middle School

2:12 a.m.
All hotels in Clewiston and most hotels in Hendry County are booked.

2:05 a.m.
Hurricane Matthew has been reduced to a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds.

1:39 a.m.
A Jacksonville family decided to park their car inside their home.

This video is not available.

1:31 a.m.
Here is the updated path of Hurricane Matthew.
hurricane-matthew

1:03 a.m.

More than 141,000 customers are without power, according to FPL:

  • Brevard – 10,970
  • Flagler – 2,410
  • Indian River – 8,330
  • Martin – 19,010
  • Okeechobee – 390
  • Seminole – 250
  • St. Lucie – 7,350
  • Volusia – 3,720
  • Broward – 12,340
  • Palm Beach – 58,870
  • Charlotte – 20
  • Collier – 50
  • De Soto – 10
  • Hendry – 10
  • Lee – 400
  • Sarasota – 280
  • Miami-Dade – 16,850

Total – 141,290

12:57 a.m.

It has now become too dangerous for authorities to respond to emergencies:

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