[Bolduan:] Right now, Hurricane Florence is churning closer and closer to the Carolina coast. The storm is on a menacing path right now, packing a punch of sustained 130-mile-per-hour winds, on track to be the strongest storm to make landfall anywhere on the east coast since Hurricane Andrew back in 1992. More than a million people are being told to evacuate. Many of the mandatory orders are going into effect at the top of the hour. To be clear, the concern now, as you're looking, as we're hearing from the National Hurricane Center, isn't just the coastline and the storm making landfall. It's the storm is slowing down. So heavy rains and massive flooding are now also a very big threat to the region. What is the federal government doing to prepare this time around? Rene Marsh is in Washington. She's got that angle of it for us. Rene, what are you hearing from officials ahead of the storm?
[Rene Marsh, Cnna Aviation & Government Regulation Correspondent:] They're echoing that there are just more than a million people who are under the gun here with this mandatory evacuation. FEMA held a briefing this morning, and I can tell you, Kate, the agency's warning is stern and clear: If you're under a mandatory evacuation, pack up and leave your home now. The agency says this is a dangerous storm with the potential to kill. Now, the agency is expecting, aside from the highlight that you're seeing there on the screen, they're also expecting significant inland flooding in other areas. There are several storms brewing, but the agency, FEMA, says they're most focused right now on Florence because it's the biggest threat from a life-saving standpoint. Right now, FEMA says it's focusing on positioning commodities, like water and cots and tarps, so that it can get to those areas once the storm passes. They also say their FEMA staff is already communicating with states to make sure that they have an accurate read on what the needs will be so that they can respond appropriately. Here is more from FEMA earlier this morning at their first briefing. Take a listen.
[Jeff Byard, Associate Administrator, Office Of Response & Recovery, Fema:] So this is not going to be a storm that we recover from in days. It will take us a good amount of time to do the full recovery. However, we are focused on those critical missions that we have to perform immediately following the storm, opening the roads, performing life-saving missions in support of our state and local partners.
[Marsh:] OK, you remember FEMA was criticized last year over its response on it how it handled the three hurricanes, including Maria in Puerto Rico. The government watchdog agency, the GAO, said the agency was overwhelmed, stretched thin, they had staffing shortages. This morning, I asked the agency what it has done this time around to make sure that is not the case again. FEMA telling us that they have improved the way that they deploy staff, and they have also improved their coordination. So we'll wait and see how this all pans out. But again, they say they are confident that their response will be adequate.
[Bolduan:] All right, Rene, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Let's go back to North Carolina, though, to one of the towns projected to be in the direct path of the storm. CNN's Martin Savidge is in Carolina Beach. Martin, what are you hearing from folks there?
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, beautiful day, you can see, but the ominous sight really, other than two surfers in the water, nobody on the beach, which that tells you right there, this is a community that is very much worried about what is lurking right over the horizon here. Mixed opinions. Some people say they're going to wait and see a little bit more, hoping the storm could turn somewhat more to the north. However, there are others who are simply saying, no, they're packing up, leaving. And there's a mandatory evacuation order in effect for this particular area of North Carolina. And the reason being the storm flooding is expected to be at least 13 feet. That would mean it would come over the barrier here and it would wash all into the community itself. That's going to take sand, that's going to take water, and that's going to knock out power. That is the real danger they're facing here right now Kate?
[Bolduan:] That is brutal. Martin, thank you so much. It is so deceiving how beautiful it is right before it starts heading in. Really appreciate it. Coming up next for us, imagine going to vote, on your ballot, though, none of the names you expected. Next, the election error that may have cost a Georgia legislator his seat.