More than seven million Americans are under a severe weather warning as “life-threatening” Tropical Storm Ophelia strikes the US.
States of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland with winds of upto 70mph expected to hammer the east coast this morning. Ophelia officially made landfall at around 6am EST near North Carolina’s Emerald Isle.
The National Hurricane Center has warned of potentially “life-threatening” flooding as residents hunker down at home.
Issuing his state’s emergency declaration, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said: “The storm’s path has been difficult to predict and we want to ensure that farmers, first responders and utility crews have the tools necessary to prepare for severe weather.”
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said: “We want to ensure that all communities, particularly those with the greatest anticipated impact, have the resources they need to respond and recover from the effects of this storm.”
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