Hurricane Florence downgraded to Category 2 storm as it nears landfall but still could be devastating
Though
Measurements by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter plane indicate that maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 110 mph, with higher gusts.
Forecasters say the storm is likely to remain constant in strength, weakening only after the center of the storm moves inland.
As of
Latest reports have the center of
About 10 million people are in the sights of the storm as it zeroes in on the Southeastern coast. Despite the downgrade from Category 4 to Category 2, authorities warned that
"Do you want to get hit with a train or do you want to get hit with a cement truck?" said
About 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million live in places covered by tropical storm warnings or watches, the
The hurricane center is forecasting the storm to hover near the coast Saturday with winds of around 80 mph before landfall, but with rainfall in the 20 to 30 inches range and up to 13 feet of storm surge.
President
As of
It's unclear exactly how many people fled, but more than 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and
Duke Energy, the nation's No. 2 power company, said
Boarding up his home in
"In 12 or 18 hours, they may be saying different things all over again," he said.
Computer models of exactly what the storm might do varied, adding to the uncertainty. Reacting to the possibility of a more southerly track,
"I ask all Georgians to join me in praying for the safety of our people and all those in the path of Hurricane Florence," Deal said.
In
Their entire neighborhood evacuated in
"We're just trying to plan for the future here, not having a house for an extended period of time,"
"We hope to have something left when we get home," she said. Three other Southern raceways also opened campgrounds to evacuees.
Forecasters worried the storm's damage will be all the worse if it lingers on the coast. The trend is "exceptionally bad news," said
With
"It's been really nice,"
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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