The Latest: More than 80,000 without power in North Carolina
Power outages in
The two major electric utilities covering the state —Duke Energy and Dominion— and a consortium of electric cooperatives reported more than 80,000 customers without power as of early Thursday evening. That doesn't include numbers from dozens of city-operated electricity providers.
Almost two-thirds of the reported outages originated in
The numbers are expected to soar as the storm's winds and torrential rains sweep over more land. Duke anticipates 1 million to 3 million of their 4 million customers in the Carolinas will lose power from
Cooper spoke at a news conference Thursday afternoon with state emergency management officials. The governor said tens of thousands are without power and roads are beginning to flood along the coast.
The governor said those were "early warnings of the days to come."
Cooper says officials are also in the process of opening more shelters because demand is expected to continue to increase.
Northam spoke at a news conference Thursday with emergency management officials. He says parts of
Although the forecast for
He notes that forecasts for the weekend show a continued threat to southwest
A flight-tracking service says airlines have canceled more than 1,500 flights through Saturday.
FlightAware says that was the number as of Thursday evening.
At least 140 flights were canceled Thursday in both
A few locals briefly walked into the sand but were quickly sandblasted back by stiff winds.
One man tried to skimboard, but gave up after a few minutes as winds from the land cut down the waves. He called the ocean "
There was several hundred feet (meters) of sand between the dunes and ocean as a low tide approached around
A police officer sat nearby to talk to anyone who ventured too close to the surf.
The area called the Grand Strand attracts 18 million visitors a year. On Thursday, every restaurant, beachwear shop and mini golf course was closed.
Hurricane
As of
Forecasters at the
Measured another way, the same model predicts 2 trillion to 11 trillion gallons (7.5 trillion to 41 trillion liters) of rain will fall in the Carolinas over the next week.
Forecasters from the center are predicting a storm surge of 7 to 11 feet (2 to 3 meters) in the area from
They're estimating a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet (60 centimeters to 1 meter) from
Hurricane
As 9th District Democratic candidate
Airbnb says its hosts will offer free lodging to Hurricane Florence evacuees and emergency relief workers through
The home-sharing company said in a news release Thursday that more than 400 hosts are participating so far in the cities of
Airbnb says evacuees or emergency workers can sign into its app and will see a tab directing them to free shelter. They are asked to click a box confirming they have been affected by the storm.
Airbnb says it will also waive its booking fees for those guests.
Airbnb hosts have offered free stays before, starting with Hurricane Sandy in 2012. More than 700 people also hosted evacuees and rescue workers during Hurricane Harvey last year.
As Hurricane Florence begins to batter
Gov.
Cooper's office says the current emergency declaration is helping state officials prepare for the storm. It says the additional declaration would bring more federal help with debris removal, search and rescue teams, meals and generators, among other items.
Cooper is seeking the new declaration so that federal funds and other assistance can be received as soon as possible.
The approach of Hurricane Florence has given one
The sky was cloudy and waves crashed along the beach. But Reagan said the weather remained calm and "the only thing crazy here is the amount of people out surfing."
A hurricane watch was in effect for the
Acting Department of Social Services Director
Gov.
Officials say Hurricane Florence could bring not only flooding but also landslides to
The
Gov.
McMaster has ordered evacuations along much of the state's coast. He warned residents to be prepared to be without electricity "for a long time" in the storm's aftermath.
The outer bands of Hurricane Florence have begun to impact the coast of
Two amphibious
Navy Lt.
Seibel says about 800
Seibel said the ships already have the resources and supplies they need, including a fleet surgical team, engineers and damage assessment personnel, as well as heavy- and medium-lift helicopters, search-and-rescue aircraft and smaller ship-to-shore landing craft.
Graham says it may not be until Monday or Tuesday before the system moves away from
Television footage Thursday afternoon showed water in a street at knee level due to storm surge in
Graham says that because so much water is being pushed ashore by Florence, rivers and inlets that normally flow out to sea will be forced to flow in the opposite direction. Storm surge also could push several miles (kilometers) inland.
Power outages already are creeping up along the
Electric utilities and cooperatives reported about 12,000 outages statewide as of early Thursday afternoon, with nearly all of them at the coast. Most of the homes and businesses without electricity are in
Duke Energy is the largest of the utilities in the Carolinas. The company predicts Carolinas power outages caused by
Duke reported few
The only route off
Officials with the state
The closure means that people who chose to ride out the storm now officially have no way off the island. The two-lane highway is the only route to the mainland other than ferries.
Forecasters say Hurricane Florence won't change much before its eye makes landfall.
As of
Forecasters at the
An emergency management official in one of the most populated areas of coastal
Still says residents "can expect to have that wind to the tune of 100 mph-plus stay on us for considerable period of time."
Still says landfall is expected around
The head of
Duke Energy executive
Fountain says outages in the worst-hit areas could last for weeks.
He says repair crews will go where they can do the most good and won't prioritize Duke Energy customers over the electric cooperatives and municipal utilities that buy and resell power.
A flight-tracking service says about 1,200
FlightAware said in its midday report Thursday that the number of canceled flights is relatively small and could increase.
However, the hurricane's effect on the nationwide air-travel system will be less than feared if, as now forecast,
Meteorologists are saying Hurricane Florence is going to cause damage that exceeds
Accuweather founder
One of
Kissam says the storm, which is expected to bring torrential rains and sustained winds, could mean that it takes linemen longer to repair any power problems, in part due to concerns for their own safety.
Kissam says SCE&G has been in touch with other power companies in the Southeast that are willing to help with any problems after the storm. Kissam says crews are already in
SCE&G has more than 700,000 power customers in
Guard officials said in a statement Thursday that soldiers, airmen and members of the
Gov.
All commercial flights have been canceled at the
Airport spokesman
He said 84 flights with 12,248 seats were on the schedule for Thursday, with 80 flights with 11,416 seats scheduled for Friday.
Lovell said the airlines will decide when to resume service after
Hurricane
Forecasters at the
Helene weakened to a tropical storm while moving north over the open
Forecasters also were watching a tropical disturbance in the
Gov.
Cooper said at a news conference Thursday morning that he's concerned because he's heard some people say
The governor says the state "cannot underestimate this storm." Forecasters are warning that
Cooper says there are currently about 108 shelters open in
Emergency Management Director
Hurricane
As of
Still,
Graham said areas that repeatedly get hit even with weaker winds at
The electricity provider says it began powering down one reactor early Thursday and would start shutting the second reactor later in the day.
The
Duke Energy did not provide information about specific changes made at
The long big slosh has begun.
Meteorologists say the leading edge of
Gov.
"Please hear my message," he says. "We cannot underestimate this storm."
Cooper is saying: "Don't relax; don't get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill."
Federal emergency officials at a
They say it remains very large and very dangerous, bringing more than 30 inches of rain to the coast and heavy winds that will impact a giant swath of land.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator
He urged people in the coastal Carolinas and living near inland rivers to evacuate now.
"Please heed the warnings," Brock says: "Your time is running out."
The police chief of a barrier island in the bull's-eye of Hurricane Florence is warning any stragglers who refused to evacuate that they are making a dangerous choice.
At a news conference just across the bridge in
The police chief says he's not going to put his people in harm's way, especially for people they've already told to evacuate. The latest forecast shows the eye of
Forecasters at the
Director
Graham said areas that repeatedly get hit even with weaker winds at
Tornadoes also remain a threat, particularly in areas northeast of the hurricane's eye.
Senior hurricane specialist
The outer bands of wind and rain from Hurricane Florence are moving onshore along
As of
Forecasters at the
The mayor of
But the mayor says she knows many people are ignoring evacuation orders. She hopes they'll stay inside once the winds, rain and floods arrive.
She says people often want to get outside and take pictures. Bad idea, she says because emergency crews won't be able to reach them in the storm.
The
The
The
The
Early Thursday the Category 2 was about 205 miles (325 kilometers) east southeast of
The
Follow AP's complete hurricane coverage at https://apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes
Lexington, Thomasville schools to dismiss early Thursday, close Friday
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