SLOW-MONSTER
Thousands flee as Florence hits N.C. at just 5 mph, massive floods feared
Residents along the eastern seaboard braced for heavy rains and strong winds as Hurricane Florence barreled toward the coast Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center said early Friday that Florence had weakened from a Category 2 storm to a Category 1, moving at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds up to 90 mph.
But officials warned of a dangerous storm surge and tide that may flood normally dry areas in the Carolinas and Virginia. Tornadoes are also possible as Florence moves inland.
Florence is also massive in size — its cloud coverage is bigger than the entire state of North Carolina and four times larger than Ohio. It’s expected make landfall overnight Thursday or Friday morning, kicking off what is slated to be a devastating crawl across the Carolina coast and throughout the southeast.
Almost 100,000 customers in North Carolina are already without power, with more expected, according to emergency responders.
“Flooding and the storm surge, those are the two main things that kill people and this storm is not letting up,” he said at an afternoon press conference.
North Carolina could see as much as 40 inches of rain, officials have estimated.
Earlier in the day, Cooper urged his residents to evacuate as soon as possible.
“Don’t risk your life riding out a monster storm. You’re potentially risking the life of a first responder who would try to come and help you and we don’t need that,” he said. “I know it’s difficult to move, and I know that you are leaving things behind that you don’t want to leave behind, but no possession is worth your life.”
As the storm continues to move inland, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland could also see some of its more damaging effects.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the eye of the storm was located about 100 miles east-