For the first time since Hazel in 1954, a category 4 hurricane is positioned to strike the coast of North Carolina.

Predicted to make landfall early Friday, September 14, Hurricane Florence is expected to batter the coastlines of North Carolina and South Carolina as well as Virginia with as much as a 13-foot storm surge and winds in the range of 140 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that it could cause devastating floods if the storm pauses inland.

With the Hurricane days from arriving, authorities in North and South Carolina and Virginia alerted residents to seek safety. More than 1 million have been ordered to evacuate the coast of the three states and universities, schools, and businesses were being shut down. In addition, crews are preparing 16 nuclear reactors in the three-states for the storm. The Duke Energy Corporation’s power station in Brunswick, North Carolina, which is the closest to the area of the forecasted landfall, may be shutdown as a precaution. Two other power plants in the vicinity of the predicted hurricane force winds may also be shutdown.

The U.S. Coast Guard has banned ships of more than 500 tons from entering the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City, North Carolina and Hampton Roads, Virginia.

To facilitate departure from the coast of South Carolina, authorities have reversed traffic flow of some highways and roads away from the shoreline.

According to projections, the hurricane is forecast to strike the southern coast of North Carolina. The last hurricane to do that was Hazel, which killed 19 people and devastated nearly 15,000 homes.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts that tropical storm-force winds will affect an area of about 300 miles across the states of North and South Carolina and Virginia and deposit as much as 33 inches of rain in some regions as it moves in land.

The American Red Cross is preparing to set up shelters to accommodate people who are unable to flee from the storm. It is also sending more than 700 workers to the region.

Residents of the region have been boarding up their homes and those planning to stay have stocked up on food, water and other essentials.

President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration on Tuesday, September 11 for the three effected states. The declaration also calls for the preparation of federal resources to respond to the storm.

The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to gain strength over the next few days.