It has been years since a rare category 4 hurricane struck the United States, but that’s how Matthew is shaping up today and into tomorrow, with Florida’s east coast in its path.

The latest forecasts suggest some in Matthew’s strike zone could face winds of up to 145 miles per hour and landfall, with relentless rain.

Millions are evacuating the storm’s warning swath, but it is clear in the hours that Matthew will cause significant damage to Florida, and perhaps to other East Coast states including Georgia and South Carolina.

States in the region, including Mississippi, know a thing or two about hurricanes. We also know how critical assistance and support is once the storm passes and work is needed to put everything back together again.

There’s also small, impoverished Haiti, which took a hard blow from Hurricane Matthew two days ago on the county’s southernmost tip. Damage in that county is still being assessed, but already we know several thousand homes were completely destroyed and several hundred thousand people were significantly impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

So, much work will be needed to get people and places back on their feet after Matthew clears. But we have no doubt that Mississippi and other neighboring states will be up to the task of helping.