Tropical Storm Nicole reached hurricane force as it plowed into the Bahamas on Wednesday, lashing the West Indies archipelago nation with howling winds and raging surf while churning ever closer to Florida's Atlantic shoreline.
Nicole, newly classified as a hurricane, was packing sustained winds of up 75 miles per hour as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported.
As the storm closed in earlier in the day, some Bahamas residents fled their homes amid fierce winds and flooding. Florida's east coast was buffeted from afar by tropical storm-force winds and showers in an ominous precursor to the dangerous tempest forecast for Thursday in a state still recovering from its last hurricane disaster six weeks ago.But Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 45 counties, and a hurricane warning remain posted for a 240-mile expanse of Florida's Atlantic seaboard from Boca Raton north to around Flagler Beach.
Although curiosity seekers ventured outdoors during the day to catch a glimpse of the roiling, high surf, pose for tropical cyclone "selfies" or capture a video clip of the gathering storm, many were taking the situation more seriously. State officials opened 15 emergency shelters across the region, activated 600 National Guard troops for emergency response and recovery efforts, and placed 1,600 utility workers on standby to restore power knocked out by the storm.
Several counties along the Florida coast issued mandatory orders and voluntary evacuation advisories for homes near the shore and on barrier islands.
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