Children were crying on the streets. Women were clinging to their loved ones that died. And men were commencing a clean-up of their beloved homes.The cause of all of this? The deadly hurricane by the name of Matthew.

The powerful hurricane formed as a wave that was pushed off the African coast. Three days later, in the Windward Islands,(located in the Atlantic) the system gained enough force to be named Tropical Storm Matthew. Once it reached the Eastern Carribean, it transformed into a lethal hurricane that rapidly gained intensity. It’s peak intensity occurred from September 30- October first. , which was when it reached a Category five with winds of 160 miles per hour. From there, it made landfall as a Category four on October fourth, 2016 in Haiti and eastern Cuba. It then battered the Bahamas on October fifth to sixth as a Category three and four hurricane. The southeastern part of the United States was then hit hard by Matthew. It moved very close to the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. After hammering the southeast coast, Matthew was declared post-tropical by the National Hurricane Center.

After Matthew hit Haiti , it left the residents in a tragic state. More than 60,000 people were displaced from their homes, more than 1,000 dead, and some: still missing. In Florida, nine people were confirmed dead. In the state of Georgia, three people were reported dead, as well as in South Carolina. North Carolina was the U.S state that had the most deaths. Sadly, 20 people were reported dead.

Only two of the four state governors ordered mandatory evacuations. Governor Nikki Hailey began mandatorily evacuating people away from the coast on Wednesday, three days before Matthew hit. The South Carolinian residents were anxious to leave to a safe place. When Charleston resident, Leandro Gonzalez, also one of the Spanish professors at Hanahan HIgh School, was inquired about where he evacuated, he answered with a radiant smile: “ I went to a friend’s house in Columbia on Tuesday.” Florida governor RIck Scott began mandatory evacuations on Wednesday afternoon with the words: “ Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. There are no excuses. You need to leave.” Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia said: “ I urge Georgians in the affected areas to remain calm, be prepared, and make informed, responsible decisions as we continue to monitor Hurricane Matthew’s path.” He and Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina surprised the residents by not ordering mandatory evacuations. The National Guard was activated in all four affected states.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Matthew caused 1,384 deaths. Although it has long left us, the disastrous memories of terror will haunt those who felt its powerful wrath. For those that fortunately survived, they can proudly say: “ I survived Hurricane Matthew.”