Hurricane Florence, warned as a Category 4 storm with the potential of reaching Category 5, continues to push inland toward the southeast U.S. coast with winds as high as 140 to 160 mph.
While the storm is expected to make landfall Thursday night or early Friday in the Carolinas, more than 1 million people are already being evacuated from residences and vacation spots along the coast in preparation for the monster storm.
Officials had given people until noon Tuesday to leave the coast, and those who refuse could face misdemeanor charges.