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Boarding up a building before Hurricane Dorian is expected to hit North Carolina

Hurricane Dorian has claimed its first victim in the US — more than a day before it was expected to make landfall here, officials announced Wednesday.

An 85-year-old man fell from a ladder and was killed while preparing his house for the storm, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said during a morning briefing.

The unidentified Columbus County man’s death serves as an example that even prepping for a storm can be dangerous and should be done “with safety in mind,” he said.

“This gentleman was trying to get his home ready,” the governor said. “We really are very sorry and are thinking about his family.”

The storm, now a Category 2 hurricane with sustained 105-mph winds, is expected to cause storm surges of up to 7 feet, and has prompted evacuation orders along much of the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coastlines.

Current forecasts have Dorian heading for Charleston and the Outer Banks of North Carolina late Thursday into Friday.

The storm left at least seven dead in the Bahamas, where it hit as a Category 5 storm Sunday. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers fanned out across the islands Wednesday.