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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. –
The bursts of wind and rain from a hurricane Florence, weakened but still deadly, began to hit North Carolina on Thursday as the monster storm extended along the southeast coast.
The Florence winds had fallen from a peak of 140 mph (225 km / h) to 105 mph (165 km / h) in the middle of the morning, reducing the hurricane from a terrifying category 4 to 2. But forecasters have warned that the coast day after day – will bring seawater to land and torrential rains.
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"It's really the size of this storm," said National Hurricane Center director Ken Graham. "The bigger and slower the storm, the greater the threat and the impact – and we have it."
At 11:00 am EDT, Florence was centered approximately 230 kilometers southeast of Wilmington, its forward motion slowing to 10 mph (17 km / h). Hurricane force winds extended 130 kilometers from its center and tropical storm force winds to 315 kilometers.
VIDEO: The exterior tapes of Hurricane Florence hit the Carolina coast
Forecasters said Florence's eye could land early Friday around the North Carolina-South Carolina line. It is likely that along the coast will occur Saturday, pushing up to nearly 4 meters of storm surge and discharging water in both states.
Around noon, the Spanish moss blew laterally into the trees as the wind blew in Wilmington. On the outer shores of North Carolina, water ran through the streets of Hatteras village, and some of the few people still present in Nags Head took pictures of waves of anger covered with white moss.
VIDEO: The wind of Hurricane Florence shakes the surf
The forecast is 40 centimeters of rain over seven days along the coast, and the flood continues as the center of the storm makes its way to the Appalachian Mountains.
RELATED: "We know it's dangerous": get in Florence's eyes with the USAF hurricane hunters
The result could be what the Houston area experienced during Hurricane Harvey a little over a year ago: catastrophic floods in lands that could overwhelm homes, businesses, agricultural fields and industrial sites .
The police chief of a barrier island in the eye of Florence said he was asking for information about the relatives of the few residents who refused to leave.
Hurricane Tracking Florence
"I'm not going to put our staff at risk, especially for the people we've already told to evacuate," said Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urged residents to remain vigilant despite changing forecasts.
RELATED: What happens to your house in the winds of the force of a hurricane?
"Do not relax, do not be complacent, stay on your guard, it is a powerful storm that can kill, and today the threat is a reality," he said.
About 5.25 million people live in areas where hurricanes or hurricane warnings occur, and 4.9 million in areas covered by tropical storm warnings or watches, the National Meteorological Service said.
The size of Hurricane Florence is "scary, even from space," writes the astronaut
The director of meteorology, Jeff Masters, said that Florence could finally be considered a category 1 with winds of less than 100 km / h (160 km / h), but that is enough to cause at least $ 1 billion in damage. The water kills more people in hurricanes than the wind.
Scientists have stated that it is too early to say what role, if any, global warming has played in the storm. But previous research has shown that the strongest hurricanes become wetter, more intense and intensify more quickly due to climate change caused by humans.
It is unclear how many people fled before the storm, but more than 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and Virginia were warned to go out. Airlines canceled nearly 1,000 flights and counted. The Home Depot and Lowe Emergency Response Centers have put generators, garbage bags and bottled water in the stores before and after the storm. Both computer hardware chains reported sending about 1,100 trucks in total.
Duke Energy, the country 's second largest electricity company, said Florence could cut electricity to three quarters of its 4 million customers in the Carolinas, and that blackouts could last for weeks. Workers are brought from the Midwest and Florida to help in the wake of the storm.
The weakening of Florence as the coast approached created tension between those who left home and authorities who feared the storm was still deadly.
Frustrated after evacuating her beach house for a storm that has since been reduced, retired nurse Frederick Fisher grunted in the lobby of a hotel in Wilmington, several miles inland. lands.
"Against my best judgment, because of my emotions, I evacuated," he said. "I have four cats inside the house.If I can not get back in a week, after a while, they may turn around or destroy the place."
Travelers arrive in Chicago before Hurricane Florence
Some of those who come out of Hurricane Florence and land in Chicago.
Many passengers were relieved to travel to Chicago just before the southeastern airports began to stop Wednesday night. They sent thoughts and prayers to their friends and family at home.
Many passengers flew to Chicago with their loved ones while they were waiting for the storm.
They described the panic at home to stock up on supplies, long lines of gas … and their fears that they would return home to be damaged and destroyed.
"My friends and I were doing some shopping and water," Harshil Patel said. "Everything is going on outside the stores."
"I feel good here, but I worry about all the family and friends of the country," said Teresa Moore, who lives in Raleigh.
And help is en route to the Chicago area at the request of FEMA. A group of paramedics and several ambulances from Elite Medical Transportation are located in North Carolina and South Carolina to help with the evacuation.
WLS-TV contributed to this report
(Copyright © 2018 by Associated Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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