By Jay Croft, Paul P. Murphy and Kaylee Hartung, CNN
As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast of the United States, the governors of North and South Carolina have issued mandatory evacuation orders affecting tens of thousands of residents in coastal areas.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded Florence twice Monday, saying the storm will continue to strengthen as it targets the Carolinas later this week.
It could be the most devastating to hit the region in three decades.
(The National Weather Service upgraded Hurricane Florence to a Category 4 storm, meaning it is capable of creating “catastrophic” damage. Florence now has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the center said. Courtesy of CNN and YouTube. Posted on Sep 10, 2018.)
Swells up to 15 feet could batter the coast, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.
And heavy rains could cause flooding inland for days after landfall.
“This is a real hurricane we have coming,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday. “We don’t want to risk one South Carolina life.”
A mandatory evacuation order takes effect Tuesday at noon in eight counties along South Carolina’s 187-mile coastline.
Starting then, all roads on I-26 and Route 501 will be directed away from the coast, he said.
Schools, state government offices and medical facilities, including nursing homes in those counties, will be evacuated as well, McMaster said.
He estimated that about one million people will be affected by order, including residents and visitors.
Mandatory evacuations begin Tuesday at noon in these areas of South Carolina.
(South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster orders mandatory evacuations along its entire coastline saying, “we do not want to risk one South Carolina life in this hurricane.” Hurricane Florence is powering its way through the Atlantic expected to make landfall in the Carolina’s Thursday. Courtesy of MSNBC and YouTube. Posted on Sep 10, 2018.)
In North Carolina, the first mandatory evacuation order was issued at noon, and Gov. Roy Cooper expects more later Monday and Tuesday.
“North Carolina is taking Hurricane Florence seriously, and you should, too,” Cooper said, urging residents to prepare for lengthy power outages after the hurricane comes.
Residents of coastal areas are boarding up homes and packing their bags as residents brace for Florence’s wrath.
Crystal Kirwan didn’t see she had much choice as she got her family ready to leave their home Monday on the coast of North Carolina, with Category 4 Hurricane Florence threatening the state.
“This one is hard,” she said, having been through hurricane damage before. “We live paycheck to paycheck, being a military family, and it’s four days until payday.”
She, her husband and children will make the 4½-hour drive to family in Dover, Delaware, as soon as he is cleared from duty.
“Probably not too much better, but most likely safer than here,” she said.
Similar scenes were repeated up and down the US East Coast, from Virginia to Savannah, Georgia.
A supervisor at the North Carolina emergency management office was welcoming workers back and telling them to prepare for a long week.
About an hour after the Category 3 upgrade came another — to Category 4.
That means sustained winds of at least 130 mph and expectations of catastrophic damage, the hurricane center says. Well-built homes can lose walls and roofs.
Trees can be snapped or uprooted. Electricity and power can go out for days.
Governors in the Carolinas and Virginia already had declared emergencies, and some sought federal aid as well.
(A view of Hurricane Florence from space, captured by cameras aboard the International Space Station on Monday, Sept 10, 2018. Courtesy of NJ .com and YouTube. Posted on Sep 10, 2018.)
At noon Monday, a mandatory evacuation order was issued for North Carolina’s Hatteras Island.
Dare County Emergency Management officials said they’ll extend the order to all residents and visitors in other areas beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Florence was about 575 miles south-southeast of Bermuda as of noon ET Monday, or about 1,230 miles from Cape Fear, North Carolina.
The storm was moving west at 13 mph, the hurricane center said.
North Carolina’s governor urged people to learn what evacuation routes to take and put fuel in their vehicles in case they’re ordered to leave.
“Action today can avoid losses due to Florence,” he said.
Peak season
The hurricane season in the Atlantic will hit its peak Monday.
Preparations for Florence come as the Atlantic hurricane season hits its peak. Two other storms also are churning in the Atlantic.
Hurricanes Helene and Isaac are not expected to hit the US mainland.
Monday is the climatological peak date of hurricane season, the height of the eight-week period when the most powerful storms usually form, CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1, but cooler water and higher wind shear — winds moving at different speeds and directions — early in the season are less than ideal for tropical systems to gain and maintain strength.
Storms increase in frequency and intensity by mid-August and into September as temperatures in the Atlantic climb to their highest levels, Javaheri said.
CNN’s Kaylee Hartung reported from Wilmington and Paul P. Murphy from New York, while CNN’s Jay Croft wrote in Atlanta
Original post https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/10/us/florence-hurricane-season-wxc/index.html
Download the FEMA App for weather alerts & visit Ready.gov/hurricanes for tips on how to prepare.
(Let the FEMA App help you with up-to-date alerts during emergencies, storms, and other natural disasters, and find out more information on how to prepare for emergencies at Ready.gov. Courtesy of FEMA and YouTube. Posted on Feb 23, 2017.)
