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While people flee, others in Matthew’s path stay put

Northbound traffic on Interstate 95 flows northbound through Viera, Fla., as beachside residents evacuate in advance of Hurricane Matthew, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. A spokeswoman for Florida’s governor says about 1.5 million residents have been urged to leave their homes as Hurricane Matthew makes its way toward the state. Most of the counties along Florida’s Atlantic coast have issued mandatory evacuations along the eastern most areas. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP)
Northbound traffic on Interstate 95 flows northbound through Viera, Fla., as beachside residents evacuate in advance of Hurricane Matthew, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. A spokeswoman for Florida’s governor says about 1.5 million residents have been urged to leave their homes as Hurricane Matthew makes its way toward the state. Most of the counties along Florida’s Atlantic coast have issued mandatory evacuations along the eastern most areas. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP) Northbound traffic on Interstate 95 flows northbound through Viera, Fla., as beachside residents evacuate in advance of Hurricane Matthew, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. A spokeswoman for Florida’s governor says about 1.5 million residents have been urged to leave their homes as Hurricane Matthew makes its way toward the state. Most of the counties along Florida’s Atlantic coast have issued mandatory evacuations along the eastern most areas. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on the southeastern U.S., many coastal residents packed up and headed inland.

But for some, the dangers posed by the life-threatening Category 3 storm and its 115 mph winds are exaggerated if it stays on its current path. They plan to spend the storm in their homes, ignoring evacuation orders and government warnings.

Matthew killed at least 16 people in the Caribbean as it cut through Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas. The storm was forecast to scrape much of the Florida coast Thursday night, potentially as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph (210 kph) winds.

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Kennedy reported from Fort Lauderdale. Associated Press reporters Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Freida Frisaro in Miami, Jennifer Kay in Miami Beach, Florida, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jeffrey Collins, Jack Jones and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Bruce Smith in Charleston, South Carolina, contributed to this report.