Hurricane Matthew barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast early Thursday morning, prompting Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency under threat that the category 4 storm can "kill you."

"There are no excuses: you need to leave. Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate," Gov. Rick Scott said in a press conference. "This surge by itself can be deadly but, on top of that, we're going to have waves on top of that."

Over 1.5 million Floridians in 26 counties are under mandatory evacuation orders. Miami residents will escape the brunt of the storm, but they and people in cities up to Jacksonville can still expect gusts between 100 and 165 mph.

The looming hurricane delayed or cancelled more than 13,000 flights scheduled between Wednesday and Friday; Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is closed Thursday and, as of 6 a.m. EST, all but 10 percent of flights at Miami International Airport were cancelled.

Scott said 2,500 National Guard members are helping with evacuations and shelters while acknowledging many Floridians are choosing to stay put. Travel website Airbnb has activated its Disaster Response Tool for evacuees and homeowners to connect for free lodging.

It is the state's largest evacuation effort since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

"We cannot send someone to save you because you made a bad decision," Scott said, followed by a stern warning against going to the beach where storm surges can raise waves anywhere from five to nine feet above ground.

Evacuation proceedings come hours after Matthew claimed over 100 lives throughout the Caribbean, primarily in Haiti and Cuba. Tens of thousands of Haitians homes were damaged by flooding rivers and flying debris.

Evacuations Underway Across the Southeast

A category 3 hurricane upon landfall, Matthew is expected to stay at its current level into the weekend.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for 30 counties and placed six of them - Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh - under mandatory evacuation. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley did the same for people living in Horry and Georgetown counties.

Those in the port cities of Beaufort and Charleston began leaving their homes on Wednesday.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Haley said the 175,000 residents that already moved inland is "not enough." State officials prepared for an additional 75,000.

Florida Sports Affected

A preseason game between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning scheduled for Thursday night has been cancelled.

Veteran goalkeeper Robert Luongo was in his first stint with the Panthers when Hurricane Wilma hit in October 2005. Matthew is the state's strongest hurricane since.

"It was pretty scary when we landed and went home to debris in the streets and stuff like that," Luongo told the Miami Herald. "It's not just the hurricane but the aftermath, the days without power and all that kind of stuff people need to be prepared for. You have to realize it's not just the next 24, 36 hours, but the days after that."

The Miami Heat flew to Houston Wednesday night instead of practicing at American Airlines Arena. Sunday's NFL matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans is in danger of moving to Nashville depending on Matthew's aftermath.

Some of college football's greater rivalry games are in jeopardy of being cancelled or postponed.

As of Wednesday, Saturday morning's Florida-LSU tilt was still moving forward. LSU officials announced a final decision would be made by 2 p.m. CT, but it was later pushed back. Florida State and Miami have not cancelled Saturday night's game at Miami Gardens.

South Carolina is scheduled to play Georgia in Columbia, but officials have said a change of time or date is still possible.