Matthew was on track to rake Florida before spinning up the East Coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane watch Tuesday for Florida for a 260-mile stretch from Golden Beach near Fort Lauderdale to the Daytona Beach area.

Jim LaFeir, of Ft. Lauderdale, buys a gas can at Lowe's in Oakland Park, Fla., on Tuesday. Anxious Florida residents emptied grocery store shelves and North Carolina called for the evacuation of three barrier islands as Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm in a about decade, threatened to rake a large swath of the East Coast in the coming days.
Jim LaFeir, of Ft. Lauderdale, buys a gas can at Lowe's in Oakland Park, Fla., on Tuesday. Anxious Florida residents emptied grocery store shelves and North Carolina called for the evacuation of three barrier islands as Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm in a about decade, threatened to rake a large swath of the East Coast in the coming days. Associated Press/Amy Beth Bennett, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and South Carolina Gov. Niki Haley were urging people living in the path of the hurricane to evacuate.

Those who intended to stay spent the day stocking up on water, food, gasoline, keeping grocery and hardware stores busy.

– Associated Press

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