Columbia, SC (WLTX, AP) - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is asking people to be alert and cautious as Florence moves through the state.
The once powerful hurricane is now essentially a tropical storm, but it's ability to cause devastation through flooding rains and gusty winds. McMaster said the state is ready to respond, but he said a slow-moving storm like this is unprecedented.
FORECAST: Latest Forecast on Florence
"This is something we have not seen before," he said. "We're going to have to have patience and we're going to have to be careful for a long time."
LIVE BLOG: Latest Updates from around the Carolinas
Tens of thousands of people have already lost power due to Florence, but that number is expected to go well beyond that in the next day. The outages right now are mainly confined to the Myrtle Beach area.
McMaster said with falling trees and rising floodwaters in some communities, people must use good common sense and get out of hazardous areas.
"Don't gamble," he said. "We do not want to lose a single life."
The National Hurricane Center said Florence was forecast to keep moving farther inland across the Carolinas through the weekend before turning toward the central Appalachian Mountains early next week.
Connect with Us on Hurricane Florence
We're here for you during the storm. We'll be on-air all the time, and you can find information here on our website and app any time you need. And if the power goes out, you'll still get our alerts.
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