The following update is from ARRL:
[UPDATED 2016-10-08 @ 1430 UTC] Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas continue to support communication during the response to Hurricane Matthew, which has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm. Governors have declared states of emergency for some or all counties, and multiple shelters have opened in all four states. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that as of mid-morning on Saturday, October 8, strong winds and dangerous storm surge were affecting the coast of South Carolina, with heavy rains and gusty winds spreading inland. A hurricane warning extends from north of Altamaha Sound in Georgia to Surf City, North Carolina.
Some 1.2 million residents of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were reported to be without power, and thousands have evacuated to shelters, where ham radio volunteers have been supporting communication.
As of 1200 UTC on October 8, Hurricane Matthew about 20 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Maximum sustained winds were 85 MPH, and the storm was moving northeast at 12 MPH. Hurricane Matthew has yet to make landfall.
The storm’s current projected path shows it looping around toward the east, opening up the possibility of a second strike on the Bahamas and Florida sometime next week, likely in a much-weakened state.
