Over a Million Told to Flee as Hurricane Florence Stalks US East Coast

AFP - Powerful Hurricane Florence headed toward the US East Coast Tuesday, prompting authorities to order more than a million people to evacuate the path of the extremely dangerous storm forecasters said could soon intensify.

Residents scrambled to flee as the menacing Category 4 storm packing winds of 140 miles (220 kilometers) per hour moved closer.

"This is one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast in many years," President Donald Trump warned on Twitter. "Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!"

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered as many as one million coastal residents to leave their homes ahead of the storm's possible arrival on Thursday. Schools in 26 of the state's 46 counties were to close from Tuesday.

The governor of neighboring North Carolina ordered an evacuation of the Outer Banks, barrier islands that are a popular tourist destination, and parts of coastal Dare County, while a state of emergency was declared in Virginia, where another 245,000 coastal residents were also ordered to evacuate.

"This is a very dangerous hurricane," McMaster said, adding that the evacuation order for coastal counties was "mandatory, not voluntary."

"We do not want to risk one South Carolina life in this hurricane," the governor told reporters. "We're liable to have a whole lot of flooding."

Trump approved emergency declarations for both coastal states, a standard move allowing the release of federal funds and equipment to aid in protection and recovery efforts.

The president said he had spoken with governors of threatened states, adding that the "federal government stands by, ready to assist 24/7."

Hurricane Florence has the potential to bring catastrophic flooding to areas of the eastern United...