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Hurricane Florence is still considered an extremely dangerous and deadly storm even after it's downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane. It should hit the Carolina coast late Thursday or early Friday. (September 13)
AP
Jennifer Wilson hugs Andy Correll at The Liquid Room, a bar located near the riverbank in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 12, 2018, before Hurricane Florence arrived. (Photo: Ken Ruinard, The Greenville News, via USA TODAY NETWORK)
KITTY HAWK, N.C. – The wind hit and the ocean swelled on the beaches, but there was still no rain early Thursday on the barrier islands to the north and south of Carolina.
A large and very dangerous hurricane struck the east coast on Thursday, falling to the strength of category 2 but still powerful enough for the Carolinas to experience a brutal wind, rain and storm surges .
The storm occurred about 170 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and 220 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Thursday at 8:00 am EST. But with tropical force winds extending nearly 200 miles from the center, Florence was ready to hit.
"It's a life-threatening situation," warned the national meteorological service.
More than one million people have been evacuated from coastal areas and 10 million live in areas of storms and watches.
Tracker: Follow the planned trajectory of Hurricane Florence
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Donny King was impassive, literally. King and his wife Heather were fortunate enough to use their hurricane chamber at their home in Nags Head. The owners of Ocean Boulevard Bistro and Martini Bar said they would prefer to face the strong winds of Hurricane Florence, rain and storm surges in their wall-lined bunker.
"In this region, the storm will deteriorate," said Donny King.
King is preparing for property damage. He thinks that his benches are made of iron and can be washed under pressure and repainted. Some of the tables are not so sturdy.
"These, we will just wait for them to crash and new ones," he said.
Duke Energy said that up to 75% of its 4 million customers in two states could lose energy. Duke said 20,000 people would be in place to "attack the restoration" as soon as possible.
Maximum sustained winds, once at 140 mph, decreased from Thursday to 110 mph. But Florence plans to stay a little longer along the coast, sweeping trees and power lines while pouring 20 to 30 inches of rain into some coastal areas, NHC said. Isolated totals of 40 inches are possible.
"We want to keep sending the message that this monster of the storm is not the kind to come out," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
Bacon reported from McLean, Va.
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