Latest forecast has the huge storm hitting around the NC/SC border, stalling, and possibly heading south. That means tropical storm (25-35 MPH wind) conditions and much less in terms of rain and storm surge. Though we caution, the track could change again so you'll want to stay tuned.
She’s big, she’s angry…and she’s heading straight for the Carolinas. And while more than one-million have been ordered to flee Hurricane Florence, and everyone’s steeling for the potential of rainfall measured in feet, the White House says all is well. Not that the Trump administration doesn’t expect catastrophic winds – but rather, that the Feds are ready…or as President Trump puts it: are “totally prepared.”
Calling the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico "incredibly successful,” Trump says his administration is "sparing no expense.” “We are ready,” he told reporters yesterday. “We are as ready as anyone as ever been. This is going to be a very large one ... It's tremendously big and tremendously wet. Tremendous amounts of water."
The amount of water is certainly a concern. Winds of 140 miles-per-hour are certainly horrific, but forecasters say that Florence’s Friday landfall will be greeted by a system that will essentially hold her in place for a spell – increasing rainfall totals. In all, it’s a one-two punch that has everyone from Georgia north to Virginia bracing for absolute devastation that officials warn, could keep the power off for weeks.
- Florence is currently a Category 4, but may ramp up to a Cat 5 by the weekend.
- One person not so sure about the Trump response to Florence? Lt. General Russel Honoré, the general who oversaw the U.S. military response to Hurricane Katrina. He calls the FEMA preparations“embarrassing.” According to “USA Today,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared 80,000 liters of water, 402,000 meals, 1,200 cots and 34 generators at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. “We measure water a gallon a day for people. We’ve evacuated over a million,” Honore offers. “Those numbers don’t work.”