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Millions of people along the east coast of the United States, from Florida to North Carolina, are still under threat of a deadly attack from Hurricane Dorian on Saturday as predictions Official reports regarding the trajectory of the monster storm at 145 miles per hour faded away from a direct hit on land.
Dorian was on the verge of tearing up the Bahamas' northern islands on Sunday after turning into a Category 4 hurricane on Friday night. The storm was heading west of the United States and it was supposed to be the most powerful blow on the east coast of Florida for nearly three decades on Tuesday.
But after a nervous week during which longer-term forecasts from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) wrapped nearly the entire state of Florida in its "cone of uncertainty," the planned trajectory The storm was recalibrated Saturday morning. northward at sea to Georgia, guided by a weakened atmospheric ridge over the Atlantic.
"There is hope," said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weather Underground.
Even then, officials warned of significant and potentially devastating impacts, even if the center of the storm remained offshore or just inland, with some models continuing to insist. They reported Hurricane Matthew in 2016, a Category 5 storm that followed a trajectory almost identical to that planned by Dorian, along the coasts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, causing hundreds of billions of dollars wind and flood damage in the United States. 47 and left millions without power.
In a late morning notice, the NHC warned that Dorian was yet to strengthen, his winds should reach a maximum of 155 mph, at 2 mph from category 5, by the end of the day.
"Even though it does not hit Florida directly, it 's still a big and powerful storm," said Ron DeSantis, Florida' s governor, at a briefing Saturday morning. "You're still facing a huge storm surge on the east coast, with major floods in different parts of the state, to mitigate the effects.
DeSantis said: "A shock in one direction or in the other could have significant consequences in terms of impact. If it hurts more to the east it's obviously positive [but] if it moves a little to the west, then you have to expect really big impacts. Do not make any assumptions. Stay alert and be ready. "
Jack Beven, senior hurricane specialist at NHC, echoed the warning, predicting a "significant and destructive" storm surge of up to 15 feet in the Bahamas and on the east coast of the United States.
He said: "A life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane-prone winds are still possible on parts of the east coast of Florida early or mid-week.
"Heavy rains, likely to cause flash floods, are expected on parts of the Bahamas and coastal parts of the southeastern United States this weekend and for most of next week."
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for the barrier islands and coastal areas of Brevard and Martin counties in Florida, including the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, with voluntary evacuation requests in several other counties.
DeSantis said the state of emergency in the 67 counties before the weekend and said that he had spoken to Donald Trump on Friday night. The president, he said, had promised the necessary federal support, but "hope it will not be necessary".
While the immediate threat to southern and central Florida seemed to be diminishing, Trump tweeted his fears for other parts of the United States.
"If we think that our big South Carolina could be hit MUCH stronger than expected, Georgia and North Carolina too," he wrote. "It's very hard to predict, except that it's one of the biggest and strongest (and very broad) we've seen in decades. Be careful!"
Trump was at his golf club in Virginia, having traveled by helicopter from Camp David, Maryland.
On Friday, the President had hinted, leaving the White House, that he would spend Saturday at Camp David with experts, overseeing Dorian's progress, and returning to Washington on Sunday to attend an information meeting. at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). .
The White House has not made any immediate comment on how the president would spend his time in his golf club. Trump was to return to Camp David later for a hurricane briefing.
The governors of North Carolina and Georgia declared the state of emergency on Thursday and Friday. Henry McMaster, governor of South Carolina, was to do the same Saturday.
Although it is expected to weaken slightly, Dorian should still threaten the Georgia and Carolina coasts on Wednesday or Thursday as a Category 3 storm, still pushing the winds up to 130 mph.
In the Bahamas on Saturday, canned goods and water bottles disappeared from the shelves and the sound of hammering sounded through the islands as people prepared for the house. Dorian was to reach the northwest islands on Sunday.
"Do not be stupid and try to brave this hurricane," said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. "The price you can pay for not evacuating, it's your life."
Associated Press contributed to this report
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