Hurricane Mathew: Florida, South Carolina Automobile Dealers Under Threat As Storm Heads North

Although the Automobile dealers in the southern and eastern part of the state have been spared from the rage of Hurricane Matthew, the automobiles in Jacksonville, Georgia as well as South Carolina are now under threat as the storm has headed north.

Flooding in Norfolk. Monticello and 17th street. Water up to hips. People stranded in vehicles #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/VpLrkW6C6J

— Hannah Wallsmith (@HWallsmithTV) October 9, 2016

The Weather Channel had reported earlier that Hurricane Matthew hit the Cape Canaveral, Florida with wind speed being as high as 107 mph. The storm resulted in heavy rainfall and flooding alongside the coastal areas of Georgia and Southern-southern North Carolina.

Jeff Raynor, used car manager at Duval Ford in Jacksonville stated that the four stores, the Duval Family owns, in Jacksonville were closed Thursday afternoon after employees had finished shifting inventory away from the potential flooding zones.

The port of Jacksonville is also serves an automotive trading hub. Several automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. hold latest vehicles at this port before its final shipment to dealers. In a statement given to Reuters earlier, a Toyota spokesman said that the company had moved most of its vehicles parked at the port inland before the storm.

In an earlier press release, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal issued an order for mandatory evacuation of Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden counties. Deal also issued evacuation of people from any other low-lying coastal areas located west of Interstate 95. He also stated that he had deployed 45 state's National Guard members.

Is the worst finally over?

Ted Serbousek, president of Ritchey Cadillac-Buick-GMC, said earlier that the eye of the hurricane had been moving off from the shore of Daytona Beach. He has four dealerships in the area. Serbousek and about a dozen of his employees took shelter in the store.

A metal canopy's roof was blown off by the heavy winds. The storm also took off cameras and ceiling tiles from the service drive, Serbousek said, but the inventory hasn't suffered that damage. "The worst is almost over," he added.

AutoNation Inc. also reopened its corporate headquarters this Friday after the stores and the office tower were closed on Wednesday. There are still 23 AutoNation stores closed but the company plans to reopen the stores anytime soon.

Ray Saez, digital media coordinator for the Dyer Auto Group, said the stores appear to be fine with no damaged windows or vehicles but they are without power. Rick Case, CEO of the Automotive Group having nine stores in South Florida, stated that they had taken all the precautions for a Category 5 and they got a Category 0 hurricane. The hurricane has been reported to be a Category 3 storm.

According to AutoNews, calls were made to the auto dealers in Georgia and South Carolina as the storm headed north but were not immediately answered.