颶風“佛羅倫薩”開始衝擊北卡羅萊納

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."颶風“佛羅倫薩”正慢慢向美國東岸靠近，颶風外圍開始衝擊北卡羅萊納州海岸。預計風暴將持續一段時間，給受影響地區帶來幾釐米降雨，並給大面積地區造成破壞。

儘管佛羅倫薩已經減弱到風速爲每小時175公里的二級風暴，但天氣預報警告說，由於其體量以及風暴潮帶來的洪水，預計可能發生山洪爆發和河流泛濫。

佛羅倫薩目前以每小時20公里的速度向西北方向移動。天氣預報說，緩慢的移動將給南北卡羅萊納州帶來長時間暴雨。預報颶風將在整個星期五星期六沿着海岸緩慢移動。

預報稱，高達4米的巨浪會淹沒北卡羅來納州的Cape Fear和Cape Lookout，從南卡羅來納州的Edisto Beach一直向北延伸到北卡的沿岸，會出現從半米到3米不等的海浪。

颶風途經之地的各州政府過去一週來已經向居民發出警告，撤離最易受到風暴影響的地區。北卡、南卡、弗吉尼亞州和佐治亞州的州長宣佈進入緊急情況，以幫助加快政府的援助工作。

特朗普總統週三表示，保護生命是他“絕對的最高優先事項”。

他說， “我們做好了充分準備，食物、醫療，你能想象到的一切，我們都準備好了。”