‘Prepare for the worst’: Four states declare state of emergency as Hurricane Florence strengthens to a category 4 and barrels towards the east coast – as more than one million are ordered to evacuate

‘Prepare for the worst’: Four states declare state of emergency as Hurricane Florence strengthens to a category 4 and barrels towards the east coast – as more than one million are ordered to evacuate

  • Florence rapidly intensified into a fearsome category 4 hurricane early Monday
  • Forecasts warn Hurricane Florence could strike a direct and dangerous blow anywhere from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic region later this week
  • By 11am on Monday, Florence was centered about 1,240 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina 
  • It is predicted to approach the coast of South or North Carolina on Thursday
  • North and South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland have declared states of emergency ahead of the storm
  • North Carolina officials on Monday ordered mandatory evacuations for the state’s Outer Banks barrier islands
  • South Carolina ordered the state’s entire coastline, which includes an estimated one million residents, to be evacuated starting at noon on Tuesday 
  • One person drowned on Sunday and two others were injured in dangerous surf conditions off Daytona Beach in Florida churned by Hurricane Florence 

More than a million people were ordered to evacuate the path of Hurricane Florence on Monday as it rapidly strengthened into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane as it closed in on North and South Carolina.

South Carolina ordered the state’s entire coastline, which includes an estimated one million residents, to leave their homes ahead of the powerful storm’s arrival on Thursday.

Neighboring North Carolina also ordered an evacuation of some 250,000 residents on the Outer Banks and parts of coastal Dare County, while a state of emergency was declared in both Virginia and Maryland.

Florence has winds of 130 miles per hour and is due to gain strength before making landfall early Thursday, bringing heavy rain that could cause severe flooding through the region.

‘Further strengthening is anticipated, and Florence is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday,’ the National Hurricane Center said.

South Carolina’s emergency management agency said it was already ‘preparing for the possibility of a large-scale disaster’…….more here

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