A US news anchor has been criticised after delivering a warning to Florida residents to evacuate their homes in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew.
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The Fox News presenter Shepard Smith warned viewers in Florida on live television to evacuate before the "monster cyclone" hits, so they do not "die a violent death."
"This moves 20 miles to the west, and you and everyone you know are dead. All of you," Smith said, waving his hand across a map of the Florida coast.
"This storm will kill you. It will kill your children. It will kill your pets, and everyone you know who wants to mess with it," he said.
"You can't survive it. It's not possible, unless you're very very lucky. And your kids die too."
The presenter also interviewed a woman who was "refusing" to evacuate, and said he would "ask her why she's staying, and if she expects us to cover her funeral".
"The storm surge of a monster cyclone like Matthew, if it hits just right, will wash homes away and will leave anyone inside to die a violent death," he said.
The category four storm has already claimed the lives of nearly 900 people in Haiti and has since been battering the east coast of the USA, with four states declared a state of emergency.
"This is not to scare you. It's to remind you what happened when Katrina hit the Mississippi coast," Smith said. "And Matthew is expected to be stronger, and last longer than Katrina. Do you see what I'm saying?"
His deadpan delivery and blunt expressions have been widely criticised on social media, with many saying the comments were "hysterical" and "apocalyptic".
Did anyone happen to catch #SheppardSmith on #FoxNews yesterday? He should be fired for fear mongering and in sighting panic. Unprofessional— Bantom Draiper (@BantomDraiper) October 7, 2016
@FoxNews needs to tell #ShepardSmith to tone it down a bit he is in the morbid zone now and getting worse— Byrn67 (@Byrn67) October 6, 2016
But others praised the presenter for his honesty, commenting that the urgency was necessary for residents to understand the severity of the category four cyclone.
If only people showed that urgency when Katrina was bearing down. We might not have lost so many. Shout out to #ShepSmith— Martinelli Goss (@MartinelliGoss1) October 7, 2016