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A coastal North Carolina county on Monday issued a mandatory evacuation order for its entire population as Hurricane Florence strengthened to a Category 4 storm and continued its slow but angry dance toward the U.S. East Coast.
The National Hurricane Center said Florence is expected to slam into the coast around North and South Carolina as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane on Thursday or Friday. The storm's winds had increased to 130 mph on Monday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he had asked President Trump for a federal disaster declaration ahead of the storm.
"We here in North Carolina are bracing for a hard hit," Cooper said Monday. "We are taking Hurricane Florence seriously."
Dare County officials ordered everyone to leave Hatteras Island on Monday. Residents and visitors in popular tourist spots such as Duck and Corolla faced a Tuesday deadline.
CBS/AP/ September 11, 2018, 11:25 AM
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- With mandatory evacuations already issued for parts of three East Coast states, millions of Americans are preparing for what could become one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit the Eastern Seaboard in decades. Sustained winds were 130 mph Tuesday morning, but it remains a Category 4 storm and is expected to intensify to near Category 5 status as it slows over very warm ocean water near North and South Carolina.
Hurricane Florence's size is "staggering," National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham warned.
"We could cover several states easily with the cloud cover alone," Graham said. "This is not just a coastal event."
The center of the massive storm is forecast to make landfall along a stretch of coastline already saturated by rising seas and then meander Thursday, Friday and Saturday, inundating several states and triggering life-threatening floods. Seven-day rainfall totals are forecast to reach 10 to 20 inches over much of North Carolina and Virginia, and even 30 inches in some places. Combined with high tides, the storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet.
"The water could overtake some of these barrier islands and keep on going. With time, the wind pushes the water into every nook and cranny you can think of," Graham said. "All you have to do is look up at your ceiling, and think about 12 feet (of water). That, folks, is extremely life-threatening."
Hurricane Florence will be "devastating," FEMA chief says
The storm's first effects were already apparent on barrier islands as dangerous rip currents hit beaches and seawater flowed over a state highway -- the harbinger of a storm surge that could wipe out dunes and submerge entire communities. Watches were in effect Tuesday for a storm surge that could reach up to 12 feet at high tide on a stretch from Cape Fear to Cape Lookout in North Carolina, forecasters said.
A hurricane watch was in effect for Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Virginia's southern border, and the first hurricane-force winds arriving late Thursday.
"Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!" President Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening. He has declared states of emergency for North and South Carolina ahead of the storm, which frees up help from federal agencies.
South Carolina's governor ordered the state's entire coastline to be evacuated starting at noon Tuesday and predicted that 1 million people would flee. CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reported that lanes, at noon, will be reversed on four of the largest roads leading to the South Carolina coast, so cars will only be able to drive inland.
Similar evacuations are happening all the way up to Virginia, where the governor has ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents of some low-lying coastal areas.
For many people, the challenge could be finding a safe refuge: If Florence slows to a crawl just off the coast, it could bring torrential rains to the Appalachian mountains and as far away as West Virginia, causing flash floods, mudslides and other dangerous conditions.
On Tuesday, Washington D.C.'s mayor, Muriel Bowser, declared a state of emergency in the District ahead of the hurricane, effective immediately. On Monday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency for the state.
The U.S. military faces a dual mission this week: help some of the millions of civilians in the path of Hurricane Florence and brace for what could be a devastating blow at bases on the East Coast.
The storm is projected to make landfall somewhere in the Carolinas on Thursday, bringing flooding, a storm surge and high winds.
The U.S. military has begun evacuating some people in the area, including from the Marine Corps’ recruit-training depot at Parris Island, S.C., which sits in a marshy area on the coast. The recruits and the Marines training them are being bused to the Marine Corps’ logistics base in Albany, Ga.
“I have determined the safest course of action is to evacuate,” said Brig. Gen. James Glynn, who commands Parris Island. “For everyone’s safety, I have issued the evacuation order well ahead of the storm in an effort to ensure everyone is able to seek refuge before the storm impacts the area.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that he was being updated every day on the status of the hurricane and plans for the next 24 and 48 hours. He also is receiving reports throughout the day about preparations involving the military.
The Marine Corps, with its large concentration in North Carolina, could be especially affected. Camp Lejeune, one of the service’s largest bases, is on the coast close to where the hurricane could come ashore. Capt. Joseph Butterfield, a Marine Corps spokesman, said many personnel living there are being encouraged to leave, while essential ones are preparing to ride out the storm so that they are positioned to help others afterward.
Florence could cause serious damage up the coastline, where the Navy sent nearly 30 ships to sea from the port of Norfolk on Monday to get out of the way of the storm before it strikes.
It also could cause significant flooding farther inland, where bases such as the Army’s Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, are hubs of operations and home to tens of thousands of service members.
The military also has begun to move some aircraft, especially fighter jets, away from the coastline.
The Air Force, which operates F-22 Raptors and other jets from Joint Base Langley-Eustis near Hampton, Va., began sending planes to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio on Tuesday.
The Coast Guard started positioning rescue helicopters, equipment and people to best respond to the storm several days ago, and brought in some assistance from other parts of the country, officials said.
“Wednesday is the last full day to prepare for #Florence,” the Coast Guard said in a tweet. “It is crucial for residents and visitors in potential impacted areas to listen to local and state officials. If you’re being told to evacuate, please do so.”
The Pentagon sent a small team of Defense Department personnel to an emergency operations center in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday to carry out an assessment and coordinate with state officials, said Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.
The military also is making preparations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use Fort AP Hill, a training base about 45 miles north of Richmond, as a staging area for any relief effort.
On Tuesday, the Army also tweeted that FEMA had begun setting up trailers at Fort Bragg
Paul Sonne contributed to this report.