As Hurricane Florence bears down on the east coast, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has issued a mandatory evacuation order of the state's barrier islands.

"Don't wait until it is too late. It could put your lives and lives of emergency responders in danger."

Roy Cooper’s message to residents ahead of Hurricane Florence:

"We know this storm surge is going to be significant. People need to leave now before they can't. People are doing a pretty good job currently.

We want to make sure people understand that people should not ride Hurricane Florence out.

North Carolinians are strong, and we are resilient. We will get through this. We’ve weathered tough hurricanes before, and we will do it again...

Be prepared for lots of rain and wind. Utilities say to expect to lose power for several days."