RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Florence (all times local):
Nick Hobbs, left, and Randy Shaw, right, of Marine Warehouse Center, remove a customer’s boat from the water in advance of Hurricane Florence in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. Florence exploded into a potentially catastrophic hurricane Monday as it closed in on North and South Carolina, carrying winds up to 140 mph (220 kph) and water that could wreak havoc over a wide stretch of the eastern United States later this week. (Photos: AP Photo)
7:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service says more than 5.4 million people live in areas now under hurricane warnings or watches on the US East Coast.
Another 4 million people are under a tropical storm watch. Assorted bad weather advisories stretched from Florida to Maine on Tuesday evening.
Those facing the most serious threat are in the Carolinas, as Category 4 Hurricane Florence barrels toward the coast, with an expected landfall Friday.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday that a hurricane warning had been issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, and the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.
A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued from north of the North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Charles Light, Virginia, and for the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.
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Mark Mead boards up his rental property in Oak Island, N.C., Tuesday Sept. 11, 2018, in preparation for Hurricane Florence.
7:20 p.m.
Court cases and fall election campaigns are the latest activities getting set aside in North Carolina as residents prepare and brace for the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
Local courthouses in close to 40 counties have curtailed or suspended criminal and civil cases through the remainder of the week, with some nearest the coast shutting down Tuesday.
And some political committees and candidates for the state legislature canceled fundraising events because of the approaching storm. Democratic candidate for Congress Linda Coleman announced she has stopped all campaign activities until the storm passed.
The cancellations are on top of public schools and colleges and universities cancelling classes for the end of the week. Several college football games this weekend have also been postponed.
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Storefronts have wood paneling installed over windows, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in New Bern, N.C., as a precaution against storm damage from Hurricane Florence.
6:45 p.m.
Airlines are beginning to cancel flights ahead of Hurricane Florence making landfall later this week.
And Charleston International Airport in South Carolina is tweeting that it expects runways to close by midnight Wednesday as it monitors Hurricane Florence.
Southwest Airlines’ website showed that it had canceled at least a half-dozen flights to and from Charleston on Tuesday. The airline didn’t immediately comment.
The tracking service FlightAware.com showed that by late Tuesday afternoon, American had canceled more than 50 American Eagle regional flights both Wednesday and Thursday. It wasn’t clear if all were due to Florence, however.
American said the storm was responsible for cancellations to and from the North Carolina cities of Fayetteville, Greenville, Jacksonville, New Bern and Wilmington.
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Ed Perkins, of Midtown Olive Oil, works to install wood paneling over store windows , Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in New Bern, N.C., as storeowners and residents prepare for Hurricane Florence.
6:45 p.m.
North Carolina is evacuating prisoners and staff from low- and medium-security prisons that lie in the path of Hurricane Florence over concerns they won’t be able to withstand the storm.
Department of corrections spokesman Jerry Higgins on Tuesday confirmed “several hundred” prisoners from minimum- and medium-custody facilities are being transferred to other facilities across the state. The move started Monday and will continue into the week.
Higgins says the department of corrections can’t say exactly which facilities are being evacuated. They won’t disclose where or exactly how many prisoners are being moved until they have been relocated.
North Carolina has maximum-security prisons in the path of Hurricane Florence, but those facilities are not being evacuated. Higgins says those structures are more capable of withstanding the storm than minimum- and medium-custody facilities.
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Robert Barker moves a gas can to make way for storm supplies and extra groceries, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in New Bern, N.C., as he prepares for Hurricane Florence.
6:30 p.m.
There are two big fuel pipelines in the path of Hurricane Florence, but analysts think the storm is unlikely to disrupt the flow of gasoline or other products.
Analysts for S&P Global Platts say it’s possible, “though less likely,” that the Colonial and Plantation pipelines could be hurt by power outages or damage to pump stations.
The pipelines carry fuels from the Gulf Coast to much of the eastern US They run well inland through South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, and they are underground.
Analysts expect a temporary boost in gasoline demand as people flee from Florence, followed by weaker demand during and immediately after the storm.
But it is highly unlikely to be anything like Hurricane Harvey, which last year hit Houston, the heart of the US energy industry. Flooding closed down many refineries along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, causing a temporary spike in gasoline prices.
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Staff at Tryon Palace secure window shutters, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in New Bern, N.C., in preparation for Hurricane Florence.
6:30 p.m.
The commander of Camp Lejeune and all Marine installations on the East Coast says there is no mandatory evacuation due to the approaching hurricane.
Brigadier General Julian D. Alford said in a message Tuesday that those who remain on the bases will have food, water and protection from the storm.
Spokesman Nat Fahy says the base is the safest place for residents to be if they haven’t already evacuated.
Fahy says shelters on the base are expected to open early Wednesday, and there will be a full complement of resources for those sheltering in place.
Of the roughly 40,000 active duty troops, about three-quarters live off the base. Thousands of non-essential forces have evacuated with their families.
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A worker covers a window at Charleston City Hall in Charleston, S.C., in preparation for the advancing Hurricane Florence Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.
6:30 p.m.
People aren’t the only ones evacuating to get out of the path of Hurricane Florence.
Eight dogs and 18 cats from a shelter in Norfolk, Virginia, have been brought to Washington, D.C., to make room for pets expected to be displaced by the hurricane.
The animals arrived Tuesday afternoon at one of two D.C. shelters run by the Humane Rescue Alliance. The dogs and cats are expected to be available for adoption within the next few days. They include tabby cats, hound mixes and Chihuahua mixes.
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Workers cover the windows of the historic Charleston County Courthouse in Charleston, S.C., in preparation for the advancing Hurricane Florence Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.
6:10 p.m.
Kentucky and West Virginia are offering discounted rates on lodging at their state parks for people seeking shelter from Hurricane Florence.
The Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet said the discounted nightly rate for lodge rooms is $49.95 for residents of any East Coast state seeking shelter from the hurricane. One-bedroom cottages are $69.95, and two bedrooms are $79.95. The rates are good until Sept. 30.
In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said state parks will offer a 55 percent discount on rooms, cabins and campsites through Tuesday.
West Virginia’s Agriculture Department also said it will waive entry requirements for animals taken to West Virginia because of the hurricane. Also, the State Fair of West Virginia is offering temporary shelter for up to 100 horses.
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5:10 p.m.
Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for parts of the Carolinas as Hurricane Florence barrels toward land.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday that a warning had been issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, and the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.
A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued from north of the North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Charles Light, Virginia, and for the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.
Cover photo: Nick Hobbs, of Marine Warehouse Center, removes a customer’s boat from the water in advance of Hurricane Florence in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. Florence exploded into a potentially catastrophic hurricane Monday as it closed in on North and South Carolina, carrying winds up to 140 mph (220 kph) and water that could wreak havoc over a wide stretch of the eastern United States later this week.