Hurricane Florence: US east coast to be hit by 40 inches of rain
US officials warn of extreme flooding and tell people to "heed the warnings" as the "nightmare" storm edges closer to America.
Thursday 13 September 2018 04:11, UK
The US east coast is bracing for more than 40 inches of rain as Hurricane Florence barrels nearer to land.
About 1.7 million people across the three states affected - North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia - have been told to leave their homes ahead of the storm's arrival.
Speaking about the Wilmington area and its surrounding beaches in North Carolina, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official said the inland flooding threat was "extreme".
Some 38cm (15in) to 64cm (25in) of rain is forecast in some areas - with up to one metre (40in) at the centre of the storm.
Speaking at a news conference, the official said the hurricane was expected to spread out into the Central Appalachian mountains, the Tennessee Valley, and southeastern parts of the US after Saturday.
He warned people in surrounding areas to "remain vigilant" and expect flash floods at the start of next week.
Another FEMA spokesman said: "I need to re-emphasise this is a dangerous storm. We ask you to heed the warnings - today is the day."
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Florence had racked up winds of 130mph and is on a trajectory which suggests its centre is most likely to hit the south coast of North Carolina by Friday.
It said the hurricane was about 520 miles (820km) southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Wednesday.
The lingering storm could bring days of heavy rains, which could spark intense floods from South Carolina to Virginia.
German astronaut Alexander Gerst posted photos of the massive hurricane online from space.
He wrote: "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye.
"Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons."
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper told locals not to "bet your life on riding out a monster", with ferocious winds set to batter the shoreline.
"The time to prepare is almost over," he said. "Disaster is at the doorstep and it's coming in."
The storm, which fell from category four to category three on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, is expected to strengthen despite it weakening on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for all three states, with Florence likely to bring widespread flooding and destruction once it arrives.
He tweeted: "We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent Mayor of San Juan). We are ready for the big one that is coming!"