Washington, Muharram 01, 1440, September 11, 2018, SPA -- More than 1 million people along the Carolina coast fled toward higher ground on Monday in a mass evacuation ordered three days before the expected arrival of Hurricane Florence, a Category 4 storm and the most powerful to menace the region in nearly three decades. With maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (220 kph), Florence was due to grow even stronger before making landfall on Thursday, mostly likely in southeastern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Authorities also warned of life-threatening coastal storm surges and the potential for Florence to unleash prolonged torrential rains and widespread flooding across several states, especially if it lingers inland for several days. --SPA 22:11 LOCAL TIME 19:11 GMT 0046 www.spa.gov.sa/w747704