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Nearly 1 Million Without Power in Florida

Category 3 Matthew lashes the Florida coast.

Hurricane Matthew dropped to Category 3 strength overnight, but still managed to bring sustained winds of about 120 miles per hour to Florida’s central Atlantic coast. Some 600,000 residents were reported without power early Friday morning, Gov. Rick Scott announced at a press conference. That number has since been updated to 926,920 by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). The deadly storm’s eyewall had approached within five miles of the coastline. Two deaths have been reported in the U.S. A 50-year-old woman from St. Lucie County, Florida, succumed to cardiac arrest after emergency responders were unable to reach her due to strong winds. The other victim was an 82-year-old man who was declared dead after being transported to a local hospital. Emergency officials could not reach the victim, a woman in her 50s suffering a cardiac arrest, due to wind gusts up to 68 mph. Jacksonville is now under hurricane warning for the first time in 17 years. A storm surge Friday afternoon is predicted to reach seven to 11 feet could flood portions of Jacksonville's downtown along with several other neighborhood as well as Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Hurricane warnings have been extended to Surf City, North Carolina, meaning that hurricane-force winds are expected within 36 hours. As of Friday afternoon, warnings have been dropped south of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Friday morning, Cape Canaveral was getting hit by 100 miles per hour gusts at about 6 a.m. ET. “We are just bracing and the winds are picking up,” Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry told CNN early Friday morning. “A great number of our residents have taken heed to our warnings and we are certainly concerned about those that have not.”

Photos: View Hurricane Matthew’s Path Through Haiti and Florida