STATE OF EMERGENCY: Million to be evacuated as Hurricane Matthew heads to South Carolina

STATE OF EMERGENCY: Million to be evacuated as Hurricane Matthew heads to South Carolina MORE than a million people have been told to leave their homes as Hurricane Matthew heads towards the US state of South Carolina. State Governor Nikki Haley tonight declared a state of emergency and ordered the mass evacuation of people in coastal areas. Florida and Georgia have also announced states of emergency for the violent storm which has already wreaked havoc in the Caribbean with 145mph winds and surging seas. It is expected to start hit coastal areas in the US on Thursday or Friday. overnor Haley warned people to get 100 miles from the coast but did not say if there would be penalties for those who refuse to comply. She said: "We don't do voluntary or mandatory anymore. An evacuation is an evacuation." A state of emergency means Governor Haley can mobilise 1,800 members of the US National Guard. Highways will have all traffic lanes directed away from the coast for the evacuation and the state will close schools and county government offices in 26 of the state's 46 counties. It is the first major evacuation since Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The Red Cross has issued a call for volunteers in South Carolina and Florida governor Rick Scott has urged residents along the Atlantic Coast to prepare for a direct hit. The White House said US President Barack Obama had postponed a Hillary Clinton campaign event in the Sunshine State. Hurricane Matthew's 145mph winds have left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean where several people have been killed as the most devastating storm to hit the region in ten years brought surging seas that flooded coastal towns and violent gusts that took down trees and rooftops. The hurricane dumped torrential rain across the island of Hispaniola that Haiti shares with Dominican Republic, where four people were killed by collapsing walls and mudslides. Three people have also been killed in Haiti. The US Navy is looking at sending its aircraft carrier the USS George Washington and other ships to the region to aid relief efforts.