Carolinas Declare States of Emergency Ahead Of Hurricane Florence

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This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Florence, center, in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at 2:45 p.m. EDT. (NOAA via AP)

According to forecasters, what could be the first major Atlantic hurricane of the season, now Tropical Storm Florence, is becoming a “better organized” weather system that will almost certainly strengthen into a hurricane late Saturday.

The National Hurricane Center said on Saturday the storm was expected to become a “major hurricane” by Tuesday as it passes between Bermuda and the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The potentially deadly storm is expected to approach the southeast US Coast on Thursday and North Carolina officials were already bracing for impact.

In South Carolina, Governor McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday so as to give his state time to prepare for the possible arrival of a major hurricane. McMaster emphasized that there’s no way to know yet when and where, precisely, the storm will hit land, or when evacuations might be called.

The US Navy is wasting no time making preparations this weekend preparing its ships in the Hampton Roads area to leave port as the storm approaches the East Coast.

The US Fleet Forces Command says the ships will get ready in anticipation of sailing from port Monday to avoid storm damage. On Friday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency and urged residents to use the weekend to prepare for the possibility of a natural disaster. Cooper said:

“We are entering the peak of hurricane season and we know well the unpredictability and power of these storms,”

The National Weather Service reports that Huge swells generated by Florence could cause dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding Saturday in areas including coastal Delaware and New Jersey.

Residents of the affected areas need to be prepared for the possibility of a catastrophic hurricane around Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

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