El Gayinero Argentino

Hurricane Florence Threatens Carolinas; 1 Million Ordered to Evacuate

Image

Seen from the International Space Station, Hurricane Florence sprawled over a large area of the Atlantic on Monday as it built strength and headed for the East Coast.CreditCreditNASA, via Associated Press

By Richard Fausset

• Sept. 10, 2018

ATLANTA — With Hurricane Florence swiftly gaining strength and bearing down on the Southeast, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina on Monday ordered more than a million people living in eight coastal counties to evacuate inland.

“We do not want to risk one South Carolina life in this hurricane,” the governor said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Evacuations were also ordered in parts of North Carolina as the region braced for a major destructive hurricane projected to make landfall late Thursday or Friday, with damaging winds, torrential rains and a potentially destructive storm surge.

Hurricane Florence Tracker: Storm’s Path Towards East Coast

The storm strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it continued on a path toward North Carolina and South Carolina, where it could make landfall by the end of the week.

Sept. 10, 2018

The South Carolina evacuation order takes effect at noon Tuesday. Governor McMaster said that lanes of two major divided highways — Interstate 26 and U.S. 501 — would be reversed to make the roads one-way, carrying traffic only away from the coast, and that two others may also be reversed if needed. Schools and state offices in about half the state would be closed starting on Tuesday, the governor said.