Hurricane Matthew forces Disney World to close for the first time in 11 years as killer storm approaches Florida coast after leaving nearly 500 dead in the Caribbean
Deadly storm is expected to make landfall today as two million in the state are told to flee the 120mph winds
DEADLY Hurricane Matthew is expected to make landfall in Florida within hours - as it emerged the storm killed nearly 500 in the Caribbean.
Matthew is stalking the state's coast after being downgraded to a 120mph category three hurricane.
It has already forced the first closure of Disney World in 11 years as a state of emergency was declared ahead of its arrival in Florida.
Follow The Sun's live coverage of Hurricane Matthew for all the latest updates, pictures and videos
And last night two million Floridians were told to flee their homes in the face of the oncoming winds.
Those who refused were told to give terrified emergency services their next-of-kin's details.
Florida Governor Rick Scott warned: "Time is up. You have to evacuate now if you are in an evacuation zone."
More than 200,000 were left without power as the storm moved its way up the coast 20-miles out at sea.
Weather forecasters predicted the storm could bring dangerous storms surges as it continues into Georgia and South South Carolina over the weekend.
A true picture of the devastation wrecked on the Caribbean became increasingly clear overnight.
More than 500 were killed in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas.
And the figure is expected to increase with some towns in impoverished Haiti reporting that 80 per cent of their buildings have been destroyed.
Fifty people were reported dead in the town of Roche-a-Bateau alone.
Governor Scott has also told residents "there are no excuses, you need to leave” after details emerged of the damage wreaked on Haiti.
He said: "If you're reluctant to evacuate, just think of all the people this storm has already killed. You and your family could be among these numbers if you don't take this seriously.
Commuters make their way through heavy rain in Jacksonville, Florida
"This is going to kill people. Do not surf. Do not go on the beach. This will kill you. We don't know exactly where this storm's going. Don't trust this track."
The storm's 125mph winds are bearing down on the state after wreaking havoc in Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
And tens of thousands of Brits could be caught up in the chaos with 1.4million visiting the state every year for attractions such as Disney World and Universal Studios.
However, officials at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld say they have all shut down until the storm passes.
Disney officials said theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, the miniature golf course and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex would close at 5 p.m.
Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Citywalk would close at 5 p.m. and remain closed on Friday.
And SeaWorld announced on its website that the park would close at 2 p.m. and remain closed on Friday.
It comes as President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state of Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts.
Obama's action authorises the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate efforts to alleviate the suffering caused by the hurricane.
Governor Scott warned residents on the coast to get out of the way of the impending winds.
He said: "When you look at this storm as it goes along the East Coast, we’re going to have to prepare every county, so it could be the biggest evacuation ever.
"Every county is focused on it though. We’ve been working on it even before today."
Despite the storm being downgraded from a category five to three, before moving back up to category four, it has still proved fatal, killing at least 264 people in the Caribbean.
Many of those are believed to have taken place on Haiti, where severe damage has been reported.
The storm is currently passing over the Bahamas and is expected to hit Florida later tonight before moving on to Georgia and the Carolinas.
Forecasters predict it could be the biggest disaster to hit the country since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans ten years ago.
More than 1,200 people were killed after the winds destroyed levies protecting the Big Easy, causing devastating flooding.
Yesterday, panicked Floridians emptied the supermarkets shelves of essentials like bottled water and fuel.
The panic was worsened when the National Hurricane Centre said parts of Florida and George could remain "uninhabitable for weeks".
So far only two counties in Florida have been slapped with compulsory evacuation orders.
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