Set to be ninth-most expensive US storm
Hurricane Florence expected to be the worst storm in the region since Hurricane Hazel 64 years ago
When it finally makes landfall, Hurricane Florence, threatening the Carolinas in the US, could cause as much as $27 billion (Dh99 billion) in damages, making it the ninth most-expensive storm to hit the US.
It’s expected to be the worst in the region since Hurricane Hazel made landfall near the North Carolina-South Caroline border in 1954.
The Department of Homeland Security, charged with responding to disasters, says it’s prepared even as it defends its 2017 response to Hurricane Harvey, for which the Trump administration was roundly criticised when thousands died in Puerto Rico.
“I’m confident the response in 2017 was good and I’m confident this response will be good,” Jeff Byard, Federal Emergency Management Agency Associate (FEMA) Administrator told reporters on Tuesday.
A state of emergency has been declared for North and South Carolina. A state of emergency has also been declared in Maryland, North Virginia and Washington amid concern over potential torrential rain and flooding. The last time the US capital declared a state of emergency was in January 2016 when a winter storm dubbed “Snowzilla” blanketed the capital region in kneedeep snow.
Along with a 3.7-metre ocean surge and winds as high as 225 kilometres per hour, Hurricane Florence could hit the Carolinas with 76cm of drenching rain for as long as five days, flooding local rivers and lowland basements.
That’s the view of at least one model for the storm that shows Florence stalling after making landfall, blocked by a high pressure system over the Midwest. In that case, it could hug the coastline and maintain its strength by drawing off warm ocean water.
One million told to leave
That scenario is a nasty reminder of Hurricane Harvey, which dumped more than 127 centimetres of rain on the Houston area a year ago, devastating sections of the city.
Other models also show the storm stalling, but only one, so far, holds it just off the coast where it can still gather strength.
More than one million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have been told to leave their homes.
“This storm is not going to be a glancing blow,” said Byard. “[It] is going to be a direct hit,” with the potential for massive damage, flooding, power outages and loss of life.”
Along with a 3.7-metre ocean surge and winds as high as 225 kilometres per hour, Hurricane Florence could hit the Carolinas with 76cm of rain for as long as five days.