Forecasters estimate the storm will pass by Florida early Friday morning, and come through the East Coast and the Carolinas during the weekend. The destructive storm already caused at least 11 deaths in the Caribbean, five of them in Haiti — and 120 mph winds hammered the southern Bahamas.
Organizations like the the American Red Cross and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are extending aid to areas bracing for flooding, damaged infrastructure and widespread debris.
Three C-17 Globemaster III jets landed Thursday afternoon at Wright-Patt from Joint Base Charleston, S.C., to evade the possible strike of Hurricane Matthew, said base spokesman Bryan Ripple.
More of the cargo jets are tentatively expected Friday. Units from other East Coast bases had contacted Wright-Patterson about the potential of sending more planes and helicopters, base spokesmen said.
Wright-Patterson may accommodate about 30 aircraft with ongoing construction along the flight line, said base spokeswoman Marie Vanover.
Springfield Air National Guard Base was not expecting any military aircraft to land at the Clark County airfield.
Two organizations will head directly to areas dominated by the storm.
The Dayton Area Red Cross and Cincinnati’s chapter have two volunteers already deployed to North Carolina. Laura Seyfang, executive director for the Dayton Red Cross, said they have about 100 trained disaster response volunteers locally who are ready for hurricane response.
Seyfang said the local chapter also has prepared its Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), which will deploy tomorrow to the Carolinas if forecast predictions are accurate. This year, she said, has been disaster after disaster, and Dayton volunteers have gone to most of them.
“If the storm really does hit hard, we’ve got all of our volunteers here locally on standby,” she said.
Dayton Power & Light Company will send crews down to areas in Florida that could be impacted by Matthew.
DP&L spokeswoman Mary Anna Kabel said the company has an arrangement with Florida Power & Light. About 20 crew members will leave Thursday at 7 a.m. to assist with utility work.
Kabel said the company will know more about where workers will be located as the storm approaches. They will then determine if they need to send more crews — and if they’ll expand services to other affected states.
“We’ll keep in touch with our utility partners as they learn more,” she said.
Across the country, travel plans have been delayed or canceled as experts predict delays — even for flyers traveling to destinations unaffected by the hurricane. Cindy Antrican, public affairs manager of AAA, cautioned travelers to contact their travel agents or airlines.
Linda Hughes, air service coordinator for Dayton International Airport, said no flights were canceled or delayed out of the local airport as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Flyers can check with their airlines if they have any concerns,” Hughes said.
Some airlines are offering waivers for travels coming from or going to areas hit by Matthew. If the forecast holds steady, airports in several Florida cities could have significant issues.
Delta has issued travel waivers for travel to, from and through numerous locations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, and the coastal U.S. from Florida to the Carolinas, according to the company.
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Delta have also issued alerts, and have specified what cities and flights are covered for waivers or free-of-charge flight changes.
Shonda Vinson of Miamisburg said she is scheduled to leave for vacation next week. Although she’s driving, she said her family canceled their reservations in Myrtle Beach because of the storm, and they will now go to Panama City, Fla.
“We do not want to have to worry about storm damage and aftermath,” she said. “I am sure the residents of Myrtle Beach will have to contend with without tourists around.”
For other residents in the Miami Valley, the impact boils down to the panic they feel for family situated in the coastal cities.
Christine Wade said her in-laws live in Polk County, Fla. She said the erratic forecast concerns her the most, and she said hoped her family prepared adequately.
“I’m in fear for them,” she said. “The satellite images, that’s what scares me the most. It made me sick.”
Scotty Rowe, a resident of Bellbrook, said his girlfriend’s son, Kyle Schwable, is a firefighter on Hilton Head Island. Rowe said the island floods regularly anyway, and a storm this size could be catastrophic.
Rowe said he and his girlfriend called Schwable to wish him luck before his shift.
“Our last words were, ‘Call us and let us know how you are when, and if, you get the chance,’” he said. “My girlfriend, she’s deathly afraid for him.”
Staff writer Barrie Barber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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