Trump: ‘Get out of the way’ of Hurricane Florence

President Donald Trump, in a videotaped message Wednesday, warned those in the path of Hurricane Florence to “get out of the way,” adding, “Don’t play games with it. It is a big one.” The president previously declared states of emergency for the region, opening the door to federal aid as evacuations begin along the coast. As of Wednesday morning, the Category 4 storm was centered less than 500 miles southeast of Wilmington, N.C., moving at 15 mph with sustained winds of 130 mph.

The National Hurricane Center now projects that Florence will hover off the southeastern North Carolina coast from Thursday night until making landfall Saturday morning, most likely in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area, a day later and farther south than earlier predictions. The storm’s newly predicted track also brings Georgia into the mix. Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Wednesday for all 159 counties in the state.

The National Weather Service said Florence is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 20 to 30 inches in the hardest hit areas, with isolated amounts reaching as much as 40 inches. These amounts, according to the NWS, could produce “life-threatening, catastrophic flooding.”