More than one MILLION people in the path of ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Florence ordered to EVACUATE as five states along the southeast coastline declare emergencies and 30 warships set out to sea to avoid damage
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 5pm on Monday, Florence was centered about 1,170 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
United States Navy sent some 30 ships out to sea from their port at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia
By ARIEL ZILBER and EMILY CRANE
DAILYMAIL.COM
11 September 2018
Florence exploded into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Monday as it closed in on North and South Carolina, carrying winds up to 130 mph and water that could wreak havoc over a wide stretch of the eastern United States later this week.
Communities along a stretch of coastline that’s vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change prepared to evacuate the storm, which forecasters expect to be close to Category 5 strength by Tuesday.
The South Carolina governor ordered the state’s entire coastline to be evacuated starting at noon Tuesday and predicted that 1 million people would flee.
And Virginia’s governor ordered a mandatory evacuation for some residents of low-lying coastal areas.
The U.S. military said it was sending an advance team to Raleigh, North Carolina, to coordinate with federal and state partners.
It said about 750 military personnel would be designated to provide support.
The U.S. Navy also ordered all warships docked at the world’s largest military port out to sea.
The commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command said that nearly 30 warships would be sent out from Hampton Roads, which is home to Naval Station Norfolk, according to USA Today.
Naval Station Norfolk is the home base of four aircraft carriers – the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Gerald Ford, the USS George H.W. Bush, and the USS Harry Truman.
The USS Bush, the USS Lincoln, and the USS Truman are Nimitz-class aircraft carriers that are powered by nuclear energy.
Other military personnel could also find themselves directly in harm’s way.
The largest U.S. Marine Corps base on the East Coast, Camp Lejeune and its extensive beachfront northeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, lie within the NHC’s forecast ‘cone’ for possible landfall.
The storm’s first effects were already apparent on barrier islands as dangerous rip currents hit beaches and seawater flowed over a state highway.
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