飓风“佛罗伦萨”开始冲击北卡罗莱纳

The outer bands of Hurricane Florence are beginning to lash the North Carolina coast as the storm edges closer to the eastern United States. The storm is expected to linger, dumping several centimeters of rain in affected areas and causing widespread destruction.

Even though Florence has weakened to a Category Two system with winds of 175 kilometers per hour, weather forecasters warn that its size, along with life-threatening storm surge flooding, catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding, can be expected.

Florence is currently moving to the northwest at 20 kilometers per hour. The forecasters say the slow speed will give Florence time to pound the Carolinas with bands of heavy rain. The forecast track has the storm moving slowly along the coast throughout Friday and into Saturday.

Forecasters say surges up to 4 meters could inundate Cape Fear, North Carolina to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, with smaller surges ranging from half a meter to 3 meters in coastal areas from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to coastal areas extending north into North Carolina.

Leaders of the states in the path of the storm have warned people all week to evacuate the most susceptible areas. The governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia declared emergencies to help speed up government aid efforts.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that protecting lives is his "absolute highest priority."

He said. "We\'re fully prepared. Food, medical, everything you can imagine, we are ready."

尽管佛罗伦萨已经减弱到风速为每小时175公里的二级风暴，但天气预报警告说，由于其体量以及风暴潮带来的洪水，预计可能发生山洪爆发和河流泛滥。

佛罗伦萨目前以每小时20公里的速度向西北方向移动。天气预报说，缓慢的移动将给南北卡罗莱纳州带来长时间暴雨。预报飓风将在整个星期五星期六沿着海岸缓慢移动。

预报称，高达4米的巨浪会淹没北卡罗来纳州的Cape Fear和Cape Lookout，从南卡罗来纳州的Edisto Beach一直向北延伸到北卡的沿岸，会出现从半米到3米不等的海浪。

飓风途经之地的各州政府过去一周来已经向居民发出警告，撤离最易受到风暴影响的地区。北卡、南卡、弗吉尼亚州和佐治亚州的州长宣布进入紧急情况，以帮助加快政府的援助工作。

特朗普总统周三表示，保护生命是他“绝对的最高优先事项”。

他说， “我们做好了充分准备，食物、医疗，你能想象到的一切，我们都准备好了。”