Hurricane Matthew

A super powerful hurricane, Hurricane Matthew, has caused a lot of damage, and some deaths in the Carribean and along the East Coast of the US. The video shows how Florida prepared for the arrival of the hurricane.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• evacuate - leave a dangerous place
• storm surge - a large wave of water caused by strong winds
• inland flooding - when a large amount of water covers areas of land that are usually dry
  power outages - periods of time when there is no electricity in a building or area
• power - the electricity that people use

First read assignment 1. Next watch the video.



Assignment 1
Fill in the missing numbers:

1. “More than .................... million people from Florida to the Carolinas have been urged to evacuate ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Matthew.”
2. Hurricane Matthew is “expected to be a category .................... storm when it makes landfall.”
3. “Hurricane Matthew is expected to bring up more than .................... mile-per-hour winds, a .................... to 9 foot storm surge, inland flooding, and power outages.
4. Matthew hit the island nation of Haiti “leaving at least .................... people dead and more than .................... homes flooded.”

Assignment 2
First read the questions. Next watch the video once more. Make notes to help you answer the questions.

1. Governor Rick Scott warns the people of Florida: “Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. Be prepared, don't take a chance.”
   Explain the meaning of the underlined phrase.


2. Fill in the missing word:
   “Time is running .......”
   What does this phrase mean?


3. What will millions of people living on the East Coast lose?
   What does this actually mean?
   Give 2 or more examples.


4. On what day of the week did Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti?