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How are you preparing for Hurricane Florence? Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: 347-322-0415
Wilmington, North Carolina (CNN)The
southern East Coast of the United States is bracing for the arrival of
Hurricane Florence, as the storm -- already packing winds as strong as
130 mph -- is expected to near Category 5 strength before it strikes
overnight Thursday.
More
than 1 million people face mandatory evacuation orders in coastal areas
of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina as one of the strongest
hurricanes to aim for the eastern seaboard in decades nears shore.
Tropical-storm-force
winds are due to reach the coasts of North and South Carolina late
Wednesday night, and hurricane-force winds may be felt around noon
Thursday, ahead of a landfall likely Thursday night, CNN meteorologist
Chad Meyers said. Hurricane and storm surge watches are in effect in
those states, the National Hurricane Center said.
The Category 4 hurricane's center weakened slightly Tuesday morning, but the storm should get stronger, Myers said.
"We
do expect (the storm's) eye to get its act together again later today
and become that almost-Category 5 storm at 150 to 155 mph," Myers said
Tuesday morning.
.
This forecast cone, created around 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, shows the probable range of Florence's center for the next five days.
Latest developments
•
As of 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, Florence's center had maximum sustained winds
of 130 mph and was about 950 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, North
Carolina.
• Florence is expected to restrengthen Tuesday and "be an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday night," the NHC said.
•
Among the storm's threats later this week: Life-threatening storm
surges -- up to 12 feet -- along the coasts and up to 30 inches of rain
over parts of the Carolinas and Virginia through Saturday.
Forecast models for Florence, as of 6:42 a.m. ET Tuesday
•
"As the storm system lingers through the weekend, there will be heavy
rain and flooding throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, with the biggest
flood threat in the Carolinas," CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.
•
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the entire South Carolina
coastline, effective at noon Tuesday, and for parts of coastal North
Carolina and Virginia.
• Though not
every coastal area in North Carolina was under mandatory evacuation
Tuesday morning, "I believe that people should be evacuating the coast
of North Carolina," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator
Brock Long told CNN's "New Day."
•
The watches extend from Edisto Beach, South Carolina northward to the
North Carolina-Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle
Sounds. Those areas are at risk for hurricane conditions and
"life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the
coastline" during the next 48 hours, the NHC said.
Residents prepare to flee and hunker down
Residents
along the coast boarded up their homes, formed long lines at gas
stations and emptied the shelves of hardware stores and supermarkets
Monday as they prepared for Florence's arrival.
Crystal Kirwan didn't think
she had much choice as she got her family ready to leave their home in
Moyock, North Carolina. She and her husband planned to make the 4.5-hour
drive with their children to family in Dover, Delaware, as soon as he
was cleared from military duty.
"Probably not too much better, but most likely safer than here," she said of the destination.
Grocery
stores began selling out of water, milk and bread, and supply stores
were struggling to stock batteries, plywood and generators as early as
Sunday.
At a Home Depot in
Wilmington, North Carolina, Billy Nivens told CNN they'd run out of
water, plywood, generators, flashlights, propane, batteries and
five-gallon gas cans by Monday afternoon.
Ryan Fonville visited three hardware stores in Wilmington Monday and found they were running out of supplies.
"I
gathered my supplies this weekend, sharing for local community groups
so people don't waste gas. The gas pumps are running out as well,"
Fonville told CNN.
Empty shelves in Wilmington
Since noon Sunday, a Lowe's in Lumberton, North Carolina, has been sold out of generators, store manager Mackie Singletary said.
In
Charleston, South Carolina, the Coburg Dairy Cow landmark was removed
Monday for safekeeping from its perch atop a sign on Highway 17, CNN
affiliate WCIV reported.
Storm is expected to strengthen
Residents of the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, fill sandbags in preparation for Hurricane Florence.
Though
Florence's eyewall weakened slightly Tuesday morning, conditions such
as little wind shear and warm water mean the storm should intensify
later in the day and week, said Richard Henning, flight director of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunters.
"Everything
that you've been hearing about this storm in terms of its severity is
all true," Henning said Tuesday morning. "There's nothing to prevent
this storm from continuing to intensify."
The
storm intensified rapidly earlier in the week: It became a hurricane
over the Atlantic on Sunday, and by Monday morning, it had grown to a
Category 3 storm. About an hour after the Category 3 upgrade, it was
reclassified as Category 4.
Hurricane Florence gained strength Monday in the Atlantic.
States of emergency declared in four states
One
year after major storms ravaged the Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico,
officials warned those in Florence's path not to underestimate the
threat the storm poses.
States of
emergency were declared in the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland, where
some coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms.
"We
are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," Maryland Gov.
Larry Hogan said, noting that Florence could cause catastrophic flooding
in his state.
North
Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to map out evacuation routes
and prepare for lengthy power outages. Six more North Carolina counties
were placed under mandatory evacuation Monday night, hours
after the first order in Hatteras Island. Certain areas of Brunswick,
Currituck, Dare, Hyde, New Hanover and Onslow counties are affected,
with more orders expected Tuesday.
"North
Carolina is taking Hurricane Florence seriously, and you should, too,"
Cooper said. "Action today can avoid losses due to Florence."
In
South Carolina, mandatory evacuation orders take effect Tuesday at noon
in eight counties along the state's 187-mile coastline. Starting then,
traffic in all lanes along parts of Interstate 26 and Route 501 will
head away from the coast, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said.
State
government offices, including schools and medical facilities, will be
closed in 26 counties, McMaster said. He estimated that about 1 million
people, order, including residents and visitors, will be affected by the
order.
Mandatory evacuations start in coastal South Carolina Tuesday at noon.
"This is a real hurricane we have coming," McMaster said Monday. "We don't want to risk one South Carolina life."
In
Virginia, mandatory evacuations would begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday for about
245,000 residents in a portion of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore
area, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday.
"Everyone
in Virginia needs to prepare," he said. "This is a serious storm, and
it's going to affect the entire state of Virginia."
National
Guard soldiers are being mobilized in the affected states. President
Donald Trump declared an emergency in North Carolina, allowing it to
access federal funds.
By Susannah Cullinane, Kaylee Hartung, Jason Hanna and Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
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