Hurricane Florence’s slow pace could lead to widespread chaos and damage
HURRICANE Florence has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power.
Forecasters said conditions would only worsen as the hulking storm slogs inland.
Screaming winds bent trees toward the ground and raindrops flew sideways as Florence’s leading edge whipped the Carolina coast on Thursday (local time), starting an onslaught that could last for days, leaving a wide area under water from both heavy downpours and rising seas.
The storm’s intensity diminished as it neared land, with winds dropping to around 144km/h by nightfall.
But that, combined with the storm’s slowing forward movement and heavy rains, had Governor Roy Cooper warning of an impending disaster.
“The worst of the storm is not yet here but these are early warnings of the days to come,” he said.
“Surviving this storm will be a test of endurance, teamwork, common sense and patience.”
Cooper requested extra federal disaster assistance in anticipation of what his office called “historic major damage” across the state.
More than 80,000 people were already without power as the storm began buffeting the coast and more than 12,000 were in shelters.
Another 400 people were in shelters in Virginia, where forecasts were less dire.
Officials called on 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and Virginia to evacuate.