"Nearly 30,000 people already are without people, that number is rising," Cooper said in a press conference on Thursday. Roads and highways near the coast are beginning to flood, he added. These storm-related issues are early warnings as the worst has yet to come, Cooper said.
Winds picking up!! The H.E.R.V. recorded a gust of 56mph so far at Topsail Beach, NC. #Florencepic.twitter.com/qMUZMqCECS
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) 13 сентября 2018 г.
As of 5:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. GMT) on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warned that Florence’s winds, reaching up to 100 miles per hour, are getting closer to North Carolina’s Outer Banks and southeastern coast. A life-threatening storm surge and rainfall is expected, the agency said.
WATCH Florence Already Bringing Floods to Carolina Coast
More than 10 million people are believed to be in the path of Hurricane Florence, which is expected to make landfall in North or South Carolina late Thursday or early Friday morning.