SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Shifting forecasts raised the threat to the Southeast from powerful Hurricane Irma on Wednesday and prompted emergency declarations in the Carolinas and coastal Georgia, including areas that haven’t suffered a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Wednesday for the state’s 100-mile (160-kilometer) swath of Atlantic coast, last was struck by a hurricane of force Category 3 or higher in 1898. His South Carolina counterpart, Gov. Henry McMaster, declared an emergency for that neighboring state as officials assessed the chances of receiving a major hurricane strike there for the first time in nearly 28 years.
“It is a precaution. This is not an order of evacuation,” McMaster said in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital, adding evacuations could be ordered as early as Friday if needed. “Assume it’s arriving tomorrow morning and get ready. When that hurricane is coming, when it gets close, it’s too late.”
The last major hurricane to hit South Carolina was Hugo in September 1989. It came ashore just north of Charleston with winds of 135 mph (215 kph), causing 13 deaths in the state and $6.5 billion in damage in 1989 dollars.
Also Wednesday afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency taking effect at 8 a.m. Thursday for the entire state. He added that all swift-water rescue teams the state sent to Texas for Hurricane Harvey were expected back in North Carolina by Wednesday night.