South Carolina governor plans Matthew evacuation

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley says she plans to issue an evacuation order on Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Matthew so that 1 million people can safely and comfortably leave the coast.

Haley said at a Tuesday news conference that she would finalise the order on Wednesday morning, unless there is a major shift in the storm's track. Haley says she expects the evacuation to begin at 15:00 EDT on Wednesday.

State officials say lanes on major evacuation routes will be reversed. It would be the first major evacuation since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when the governor at the time didn't reverse the lanes and Interstate 26 became backed up for hours and traffic was at a standstill.