About a million people in the U.S. state of South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate ahead of a powerful hurricane.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram….
Aram… what's the latest?
Well Mark… Hurricane Florence has turned into a Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall on Thursday.
Weather experts say it has the potential to be the most powerful storm to take aim at the U.S. mainland this year.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has ordered the mandatory evacuation of the state's entire coastline, which spans eight counties.
Evacuations are to start at noon on Tuesday, local time, and the directions of several lanes on four main roads are to be reversed to help with the mass exodus.
Neighboring North Carolina and Virginia have declared states of emergency, with evacuation orders already in place.
Florence is packing winds of 195 kilometers per hour and is expected to gain strength as it strikes the Carolinas by Thursday.
Forecasters say the storm could reach the highest strength reading of Category 5 upon landfall with the risk of life-threatening impacts.
Along with blasting winds, Florence is expected to bring flooding to coastal and inland regions due to prolonged heavy rain.
President Trump has cancelled plans for a rally on Friday in Mississippi because of the hurricane.