Hurricane Florence weakened to the 2 category, but poses a threat

Florence on Thursday approached the East Coast of the United States. Meanwhile, resources are being mobilized to withstand high winds, high waves and catastrophic floods not only in North and South Carolina, but also further south in Georgia.

According to forecasts of the National Center for Hurricane Watch in Miami, the center of Florence, a slow moving hurricane of the second category, will approach the coast of North Carolina on Friday afternoon, perhaps lingering along the coast, then move southwest along the coast, after which it will go deep into the mainland on Saturday.

The wind speed inside the hurricane reached on Wednesday 175 kilometers per hour, which is lower than the peak 225 kilometers per hour, recorded the day before, when Florence was still classified as a fourth category hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

However, the National Hurricane Watching Center warned that Florence still poses a deadly threat to a wide stretch of US east coast from southern Georgia to southern Virginia and could lead to catastrophic flooding.

On Friday in the eastern part of North Carolina, several tornadoes are possible. Fox News with reference to weather forecasters.

Airlines have canceled almost 1000 flights.

“The trouble is on the threshold, and it is already coming,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper at a morning press conference.

Against the backdrop of Hurricane Florence approaching the southeastern coast of the United States, President Donald Trump said that protecting human life is his “absolute top priority,” writes “Voice of America".

“We will handle this. We are ready. We can, Trump said. - We are fully prepared. Products, medicines, everything that you can imagine, everything is prepared. "

The president said he was in touch with the governors of North and South Carolina, two states that are directly on the way to the storm.

At the same time, the president addressed those residents who want to stay at home and wait out the storm, with a short message: “Do not play games.”

According to weather forecasters, Florence can not only flood the Carolina coast with storm tides up to 4 meters, but also bring down 50-75, and in some areas of North Carolina, and up to 100 centimeters of rain.

Torrential rains and flooding will be particularly severe and will last several days if the storm lingers over land.

According to Mark Chenard from the Federal Weather Forecast Center, about 10 millions of people live in areas for which a hurricane or storm warning is likely to be issued.

Preparing for an emergency in the region includes mobilizing more than 2700 National Guard troops, stockpiling food, organizing shelters and ensuring the safety of 16 nuclear reactors in both the Caroline and Virginia.

Representatives of utilities warned of possible power outages, noting that it may take weeks to restore electricity supply.