Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) associate administrator Jeff Byard warned residents in North Carolina and South Carolina to evacuate before Hurricane Florence likely delivers a direct hit to the states.
“This is not going to be a glancing blow,” Byard said Wednesday morning, according to CNN. “This is going to be a Mike Tyson punch to the Carolina coast.”
“Today is the last good day to evacuate,” Byard said.
The Carolinas are expected to be drenched in heavy rains and buffeted by strong winds as early as Thursday and into the weekend. Florence is expected to bring a “life-threatening” storm surge to the coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. (RELATED: ‘Don’t Play Games’: Trump Begs Residents To Flee Florence)
Here are the Key Messages for the 5 AM EDT advisory for Hurricane #Florence pic.twitter.com/lY1y5KSZb9
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 12, 2018
Florence’s rains may cause “catastrophic” flash-flooding across the Carolinas and further inland, if the storm follows current projections. Many areas along the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under mandatory evacuation orders.
President Donald Trump approved disaster declarations for North Carolina and South Carolina Monday, authorizing FEMA and other agencies to work with the states on a disaster plan to have in place when the storm hits. Trump’s action opens up more federal resources to the states in order to prepare for Florence and mitigate damage in the storm’s aftermath.
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