A North Carolina shop boarded up for the hurricane offers a hopeful message: “Pray for Wilmington.” (Ernest Scheyder/Reuters)Beach communities in North Carolina and South Carolina emptied Wednesday as Hurricane Florence threatened to unleash pounding surf and potentially deadly flooding by Friday. Forecasts show the Category 4 storm bringing days of heavy rains and possibly intense inland flooding from South Carolina to Virginia. “The time to prepare is almost over,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper at a Wednesday news conference. “I’m not approaching Florence from fear or panic,” said Brad Corpening, 35, who planned to ride out the storm in Wilmington, North Carolina. We just need to figure out how to make it through.”The last hurricane rated a Category 4 to hit North Carolina directly was Hazel in 1954.

Source: Washington Post September 12, 2018 21:45 UTC