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WILMINGTON, N.C. — Hurricane Florence slammed ashore on North Carolina's coast early Friday, ripping apart roofs with extreme winds and threatening massive storm surges as officials reported dozens of water rescues from cars and homes. The eye of the storm made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, northeast of Wilmington, at 7:15 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said. Here's the latest on Hurricane Florence: As of 10 a.m. ET Friday, Florence was 20 miles southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and 55 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and moving west at around 6 mph. There were more than 485,000 power outages as of Friday morning in North Carolina, according to  the state department of public safety . New Bern, north of Wilmington, has more than 150 people  requiring rescue  Friday morning. Wind gusts at Wilmington International Airport reached 105 mph in the storm's eyewall, the highest wind gust during a hurricane since 1958. The Red C

RALEIGH, N.C.  -- With mandatory evacuations already issued for parts of three East Coast states, millions of Americans are preparing for what could become one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit the Eastern Seaboard in decades. Carrying winds of up to 140 mph as a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Florence is expected to strengthen and become a Category 5 storm Tuesday. It's then forecast to close in on North or South Carolina on Thursday, hitting a stretch of coastline that's vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change. If Florence makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, it will be the strongest storm on record to come ashore in North Carolina. "Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!" President Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening. South Carolina's governor ordered the state's entire coastline to be evacuated starting at noon Tuesday and predicted that 1 million people would flee. At noon on Tuesday, CBS News correspondent D

At a Glance Florence is now intensifying and has regained hurricane strength. Rapid intensification into a major hurricane is possible by Monday. A strike on the U.S. East Coast is increasingly likely. This may happen as soon as Thursday. Those near the East Coast should monitor closely and firm up their hurricane plans. Florence is generating swells that are beginning to affect parts of the U.S. coastline. Florence has strengthened back into a hurricane and is forecast to rapidly intensify and could pose a serious danger for the U.S. East Coast where a direct strike is increasingly likely by mid- to late week. If you are near the U.S. East Coast, develop or review your hurricane preparedness plan and be ready to implement it if necessary.  As of Sunday morning, Florence was still more than 700 miles southeast of Bermuda, moving due west. Where Florence turns north around the western periphery of that high-pressure system will determine what part of the coastline