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WILMINGTON, N.-C. – Florence's sidebands hit the North Carolina coast on Friday, pulling seawater through the streets and cutting energy to nearly 200,000 winds.
Forecasters urged residents on the massive storm path not to be deceived by the hurricane's move to category 1 late Thursday.
"#Florence remains a dangerous hurricane a few dozen kilometers off the north coast, "the National Weather Service in Morehead City, North Carolina, tweeted. "The worst impacts will continue overnight."
Here are the latest news about Hurricane Florence:
- The storm was downgraded to a Category 1 storm late Thursday.
- From 4:00 am (Eastern time) Friday, Florence was 30 miles east of Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Storm surges are expected to peak on Thursday night just before midnight and Friday around noon, according to NBC's Al Roker.
- The storm could land on Friday morning in North Carolina. Its size is greater than that of North Carolina and South Carolina.
- More than 194,000 power outages occurred Friday morning in North Carolina, according to the Department of Public Safety.
As of 4 pm ET, Florence had sustained maximum winds of 90 mph. In short, a Category 4 storm weakened into a Category 2 late Wednesday and fell into a Category 1 storm at 11 pm. AND thursday
The storm, which was moving northwest at 5 mph, said the National Hurricane Center, poses a threat to water.
The agency warned that "strong winds and life-threatening hurricanes" were expected – and officials urged anyone in the evacuation zones to leave as quickly as possible.
"Please do not lower your guard," said Brock Long, a director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, at a press conference Thursday morning. "The storm surge predicted with this storm has not changed."
The fall is expected early Friday in the coast of North Carolina, but the rain is expected to last several days.
The National Hurricane Center warned that it was waiting for "catastrophic floods in fresh water" in parts of northern and southern Carolina.
"Heavy rains and strong winds are likely to spread in North Carolina and last for days," Governor Roy Cooper said at a news conference. "As Florence moves inland, we will see more rain and flooding of our rivers, and remember that rivers continue to rise even after the rain has stopped."
Long, FEMA's administrator, warned that the state's infrastructure was going to "crash," adding, "The power will go out. It could last several days, that could last weeks, it's very hard to say at this point. "
Despite dire predictions, there were a few cities in Wilmington, a busy port city. Those who rode the storm boarded windows, collected pets, and made last-minute trips to find food, ice, water, and gas.
On Thursday morning, 27-year-old Darius Pearce left his home in Castle Hayne to fill a cooler at an ice cube vending machine. Almost all of his family fled their homes a few days ago, but he stayed with his mother, a nurse at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, who is under surveillance.
"I do not want to leave her here," Pearce said.
But he did not panic. Shrugging, he said, "I think when you have to leave, it's time to leave."
Meanwhile, in the Northside neighborhood of Wilmington, Julio Martinez, 28, was sitting on the steps of an apartment complex. He had accumulated enough water and food to last a few days, and thought that would be enough. He had seen neighbors and friends leave, but he had said that he had nowhere to go.
"Everyone evacuates and panics, and I tell them," I'll see you when you get back, "Martinez said.
Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo asked those in the shelters to stay on site until the end of the storm.
"The last thing we need is for people to go sightseeing, drive in town," he told MSNBC.
In total, more than 10 million people face dangerous or deadly conditions from Florence, officials said. And about 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia were invited to evacuate.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster – who began a press conference Thursday afternoon with a prayer – said more than 421,000 people had been evacuated to his state. He urged those in the evacuation areas to "leave now, because time is running out".
In addition to flash floods, South Carolina authorities have said residents should expect landslides in some areas.
The mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Brenda Bethune, said that once the immediate safety issues related to the storm, she expected a significant economic impact on her city, which depends heavily tourism.
"I think it will be huge, unfortunately," she told MSNBC. "It is therefore crucial that we quickly restore the community, that we rebuild better than ever, so that people can come back and visit us."
As Florence closed on Thursday, all eyes were on storm surges. Two potentially catastrophic storm surges are expected: one just before midnight Thursday and another Friday noon.
Hurricane and storm surge warnings were in effect for South Santee River, South Carolina, Duck, North Carolina, and the sounds of Albemarle and Pamlico. A hurricane watch was in effect for Edisto Beach, South Carolina, at South Santee River, South Carolina, and a storm watch was in effect for Edisto Beach, South Carolina, until the day before. at South Santee River and north of Duck, North Carolina. North Carolina-Virginia border.
The largest area of concern was Cape Fear in Cape Lookout, North Carolina, which could see storm surges of 9 to 13 feet.
On Thursday afternoon, Governor Cooper said that there were more than 100 shelters open throughout the state, with more than 12,000 people. Cooper said that he was waiting for other shelters to open. In South Carolina, more than 1,800 people were in shelters, said Wednesday the state government.
State and federal agencies said they were prepared for the worst. Cooper said he had been in touch with President Donald Trump and said the president had offered "everything we needed" to weather the storm.
General Gregory Lusk, Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard, reported that 6,400 guards were on active duty between North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
"We are in constant contact and coordinating with each other," said Lusk, "because in an event like this, state borders do not matter when American lives are in danger".
Jon Schuppe has reported from Wilmington, North Carolina. Elizabeth Chuck reported from New York. Daniel Arkin reported from Los Angeles.
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