North Carolina’s coastal residents urged to evacuate

ATLANTA (AP) – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is urging residents to evacuate the state’s coastal areas as Hurricane Florence moves closer to landfall.

Cooper’s office said in a statement Monday that the Category 4 hurricane is expected to hit the Wilmington area on Thursday, but impacts of the storm will likely begin Wednesday. Cooper says the state faces three threats from Florence: “ocean surge along our coast, strong winds, and inland flooding from heavy rain.”

Counties that have ordered evacuations are Bertie, Brunswick, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, New Hanover and Onslow. The statement says more evacuation orders are expected on Tuesday.

Residents are also urged to download the Ready NC app or follow NC Emergency Management on Facebook and Twitter for weather updates and to learn how to prepare for the storm.