Residents of Wilmington, North Carolina are preparing for a category 4 hurricane by stocking up on food and boarding up their houses with plywood. Officials are alerting the community not to underestimate the power of Hurricane Florence.

Over the course of 12 hours, the hurricane moved from 30 to 60 miles across, according to the National Hurricane Center. Citizens are preparing to evacuate the state and get their house ready for the enormous storm. Local groceries are beginning to sell out of water, milk and bread. Hardware stores are also selling out of generators, batteries, and plywood.

Officials are planning for the hurricane to hit landfall late Thursday afternoon or Friday. The hurricane has wind speeds ranging from 74-130 mph. Hurricane Florence is picking up wind speed while traveling over the Atlantic ocean.

Governor Larry Hogan declared, “We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.”