Updates from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as Hermine approaches:
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Hermine is getting a bit stronger as it moves toward the Florida Panhandle. Its maximum sustained winds are now about 65 mph, and forecasters say it’s likely to become a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall tonight or early tomorrow.
At 11 a.m. EDT, Hermine was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and 220 miles west of Tampa, moving to the north-northeast at about 14 mph.
A tropical storm warning has been extended northward for the Atlantic coast to Surf City, North Carolina, with a tropical storm watch from north of Surf City to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is ordering state government offices in 51 counties to close. Residents in some low-lying communities of Florida are being asked to evacuate.
Georgia declares state of emergency
MIAMI (AP) — Georgia’s governor has declared a state of emergency for 56 counties as Tropical Storm Hermine heads toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The alert runs from noon Thursday through midnight Saturday. Gov. Nathan Deal says severe weather related to the storm is expected in Georgia through Saturday. The included counties are in parts of south, central and coastal Georgia.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said Wednesday that the storm’s greatest effect on Georgia could be heavy rainfall.
Director Jim Butterworth said the storm could bring flooding, tornadoes and power outages even if it does not make landfall in Georgia.
Charleston prepares for flooding
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Charleston is making preparations for more flooding less than a year after historic rains caused closure of the South Carolina city’s downtown.
City officials say that workers are clearing streets, drains and ditches in anticipation of heavy rains and high tides from Tropical Storm Hermine. They also are putting barricades in place in case they are needed to block off flooded streets while extra firefighters and police are being called in to deal with the storm.
Forecasters say the storm could bring 6 inches to 10 inches of rain to the area on Friday.
In October of last year, flooding from what was described as a 1,000-year storm inundated dozens of streets and intersections in Charleston. That forced city officials to keep motorists from driving onto the Charleston peninsula and into its historic district.
