Hurricane Florence: 1.7m people urged to evacuate as ‘monster’ storm nears US
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has told locals “don’t bet your life on riding out a monster” as 140mph winds get set to batter the shoreline, with South Carolina and Virginia also braced for impact.
US President, Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for all three states, with Florence likely to bring widespread flooding and destruction once it arrives late Thursday or early Friday local time.
He said: “This storm is a monster – it’s big and it’s vicious.
It is an extremely, dangerous, life-threatening, historic hurricane. The waves and the wind this storm may bring is nothing like you’ve ever seen.
Even if you’ve ridden out storms before, this one is different.
President Donald Trump – who was criticised for his response to the deadly Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year – has said the White House is “absolutely, totally prepared” to provide aid once Florence hits, but there are concerns the states in its path are ill-prepared for what is to come.
Store shelves have been picked clean of bottled water and other supplies, while many have boarded up their homes before leaving them behind in the hope they avoid destruction.
Florence is currently around 800 miles from Cape Fear, North Carolina, moving at 16mph with winds of 130mph. It stretches 340 miles across, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The category four storm is expected to intensify to a category five as it slows down over warm waters, with 1.7 million people warned that they should get out of its way.
There are fears Florence could match the devastating impact of Hurricane Hazel in 1954, which brought 130mph winds to North Carolina, destroying 15,000 buildings and killing 19 people.
In addition to thousands of homes and businesses, five military bases and half a dozen nuclear power plants are also in the path of the storm.
More than 3ft of rain is expected in the eastern part of North Carolina, a fertile low-lying plain boasting brackish rivers with a propensity for bursting their banks.
Posts
