WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A dangerous Hurricane Florence is steadily making its way to the U.S. East Coast.
At 5 a.m., the storm was centered 575 miles (925 km) southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, moving at 17 mph (28 kph).
Strengthening is forecast through Wednesday.
It was a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm but was expected to keep drawing energy from the warm water and intensify to near Category 5, which means winds of 157 mph (253 kph) or higher.
President Donald Trump declared states of emergency for North and South Carolina and Virginia, opening the way for federal aid.
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