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WILMINGTON, N.C. –
Hurricane Florence on Wednesday threw a corridor of more than 10 million people in the line of fire as the monster storm approached the Carolinas.
LIVE SATELLITE: Follow the path of Hurricane Florence
Faced with new forecasts showing a more southern threat, the Governor of Georgia joined his counterparts in Virginia and North and South Carolina to declare the state of emergency, and some residents thought to be out of scope.
The best assumption of the National Hurricane Center is that Florence would fall to the ground as early as Friday afternoon around the North Carolina-South Carolina line, then push its rainy passage to the west with a potential for flooding. catastrophic in the land.
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The night winds of Florence reached 185 km / h (140 km / h) from 140 km / h (225 km / h), and the category 4 storm fell into category 3. But the authorities warned that this will always be an extremely dangerous hurricane.
"Do you want to be hit with a train or do you want to be hit with a cement truck?" said Jeff Byard, a director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The size of Hurricane Florence is "scary, even from space," writes the astronaut
The storm winds of the tropical storm extended 315 kilometers from the center of Florence and hurricane force winds reached 70 miles (110 kilometers).
The National Meteorological Service reported that 5.25 million people live in areas where hurricanes or hurricane warnings occur and 4.9 million live in areas covered by tropical storm warnings or watches.
WATCH: Road traffic reverses as people flee Hurricane Florence
In the White House, President Donald Trump praised the government's readiness and urged people to leave Florence.
"Do not play with this game. It's a big one," he said.
At 8 pm, the storm was centered 540 kilometers southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and was moving northwest at 26 mph (26 km / h). The hurricane center said Florence would approach the coast on Friday and wait for a while before going ashore.
Tuesday, 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.
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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.
Traveling to his home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Chris Pennington looked at the forecast and tried to decide when to leave.
"In 12 or 18 hours, they could repeat things," he said.
VIDEO TIMELAPSE: Navy ships go to sea before Florence
Computer models of what the storm could do vary, adding to the uncertainty. Unlike the official projection of the hurricane center, a popular European model saw the storm turn south off the coast of North Carolina and shave near the Georgia-South Carolina line.
Reacting to the possibility of a more southern route, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared an emergency but ordered no immediate evacuation.
"I call on all Georgians to join me in praying for the safety of our people and all those who are on the way to hurricane Florence," said Mr. Deal.
The evolution of the projected trajectory is preoccupying regions that thought they were relatively safe. In South Carolina, near the Georgia Line, Beaufort County Emergency Chief Neil Baxley told residents that they needed to be prepared for the worst just in case.
"We had our lessons, now it might be time for the exam," he said.
Photos from Hurricane Florence: Traffic jams and windows on board as Southeast thunderstorms
In Virginia, where about 245,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate low-lying areas, authorities have urged residents to stay away from home, despite planned changes, indicating that the Florence road was largely lacking. in the state.
All their neighborhood evacuated to Wilmington, North Carolina, David and Janelle Garrigus had planned to go out of Florence to their daughter's bedroom apartment in Charlotte. Not knowing what they might find on their return home, the couple went shopping for a recreational vehicle.
"We are just trying to plan for the future here, not having a home for an extended period," said David Garrigus.
Melody Rawson evacuated her first-floor apartment in Myrtle Beach and arrived at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, to camp for free with three other adults, her disabled son, two dogs and a pet bird.
"We hope to have something when we go home," she said.
Forecasters feared that the damage of the storm would worsen if it persists on the coast. The trend is "exceptionally bad," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane scientist at the University of Miami, "because it degrades a coastline on hundreds of miles of coastline, including the storm surge."
The seaside towns of South Carolina being more popular due to changing forecasts, Ohio vacationers, Chris and Nicole Roland, have delayed their departure from North Myrtle Beach to get the most out of the sand. Most other beach goers were long gone.
"It was really nice," said Nicole Roland. "Also, a little scary, you have the impression that you should have already left."
CHICAGO AREA FIRST RESPONDERS VISIT NORTH CAROLINA TO HELP RELIEF EFFORTS
A suburban ambulance company is heading to the hurricane zone to help with relief.
Eight ambulances gathered in the middle of the night to make the long journey south to Garner, North Carolina, and leave their center of Mokena. Elite Medical Transportation sends a team of 16 paramedics based in Orland Park
Elite received FEMA's call Tuesday night for help as Hurricane Florence targets the Carolinas. Elite ambulance attendants will help people evacuate and respond to medical emergencies that may occur during or after the storm.
"It's an adrenaline rush," said dispatcher Michele Saternus. "You just wait for the next call.Before you find someone you do not know what you're getting, you do not know where you're going.We are rushing into the storm while everyone is moving out.So you are on this highway or on these secondary roads, you enter the storm while everyone leaves. "
The team will stay until FEMA gives him the green light to return here. Right now, Elite says its EMTs are ready and ready.
They should arrive in North Carolina at 4 pm central time.
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACT FORECAST
To help with recovery, researchers at the Argonne laboratory in Lemont have developed computer models that predict the impact of the hurricane on infrastructure.
The information, which takes into account floods, winds and storm surges, helps first responders and utilities prepare for the storm. As a result, items such as utilities can be restored more quickly.
The hurricane should not touch land until Friday, but computer models are updated in real time and information is shared with first responders.
WLS-TV contributed to this report
(Copyright © 2018 by Associated Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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