Hurricane Michael has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it moves toward the Gulf Coast of Florida, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.
The wind speed is said to be 210 kms and is expected to make landfall later in the day along Florida Panhandle or Big Bend area as a "life-threatening event", according to AFP.
The National Weather Service in the state capital of Tallahassee issued evacuation orders for people. The dramatic appeal warned people not to risk their lives. "Hurricane Michael is an unprecedented event and cannot be compared to any of our previous events. Do not risk your life, leave NOW if you were told to do so," it said.
The evacuation order will affect more than 370,000 people while tropical storm warnings cover 8.5 million people in several states. Florida, Alabama and Georgia have declared a state of emergency.
Michael will be the strongest hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle in history. The heavy flooding and rains will spread far and wide and is likely to cause more damage than the storm itself.
Up to 12 inches of rain could fall in Florida's Panhandle and Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia. Some parts of the Carolinas—recently deluged by Hurricane Florence—and southern Virginia could see up to 6 inches, the hurricane center said. Florence made landfall last month as a Category 1 storm, killing dozens in the Carolinas and Virginia.
