Florida Gov. Rick Scott maintains that state and local officials are prepared for Hurricane Matthew, even as he called the storm bearing down on the state a "monster.''
"Matthew is likely to produce devastating impacts,'' Scott says.
Scott says people in the northeast part of the state still have time to evacuate and residents could still choose to go to a shelter.
Authorities told roughly 1.5 million people across the state to evacuate.
The mass exodus led to crammed highways, full hotels and the need to open dozens of hurricane shelters.
The looming storm also has led to gas shortages, though Scott said the state still has five days' worth of fuel supplies.
Officials are expecting massive power outages across the region once Hurricane Matthew hits full-force.
Although the state has food and water supplies ready for after the storm, Scott cautioned that people need to be able to take care of themselves for the first three days.
The storm left more than 100 dead in its wake across the Caribbean, and 2 million people across the Southeast have been warned to flee inland.
It's the most powerful storm to threaten the U.S. Atlantic coast in more than a decade.
Hurricane Matthew prompted two college football postponements, and has the NFL plotting just-in-case scenarios for games scheduled in Tampa and Miami this weekend.
A pair of college games set to be played Saturday, LSU at No. 18 Florida, as well as Charlotte at Florida Atlantic, were postponed.
Saturday night's game that has No. 23 Florida State visiting No. 10 Miami remains on as scheduled, though officials remain somewhat cautious.
The fate of Saturday's Georgia at South Carolina football game also remained unclear.
A major issue with games in Florida this weekend isn't the weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday, because those days look to be generally fine around the state.
It's whether police, first responders and other key personnel needed at football games that draw massive crowds will be deployed to assist in areas that will take the brunt of Matthew's wrath.
The Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency says authorities have rescued at least 30 people who were trapped in their homes by floodwaters from Hurricane Matthew on the island of New Providence.
There has been extensive flooding across the island but no reports of any deaths or injuries. The island includes the capital, Nassau.
New Providence was drenched by Hurricane Matthew throughout Thursday. Forecasters predicted up to 12 inches (30 centimetres) of rain and storm surge of around 15 feet (5 metres) over normal tide across the most populous island in the Bahamas.
Agency spokeswoman Lindsay Thompson said the government was still conducting a full assessment of damages across the island chain east of Florida and were waiting until the storm was clear of Grand Bahama before declaring the all clear for the country.
US Barack Barack Obama has declared an emergency in South Carolina and has ordered federal aid to help respond to Hurricane Matthew.
Earlier Thursday, Obama made the declaration for Florida. Obama's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to co-ordinate efforts to protect lives, property and alleviate the suffering caused by the hurricane.
Emergency declarations are designed to help provide emergency services to protect lives and property, and to lessen the threat of a catastrophe.