Florida is braced for powerful winds as the deadly Hurricane Dorian grows in size and picks up speed after cutting a destructive path through the Bahamas.
Forecasters said the storm, which this weekend became one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, would come “dangerously close” to the US state in the coming days.
At least seven people were killed as it swept across the Bahamas, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue crews continue to struggle with the severe weather.
Dorian lashed the islands, including Grand Bahama Island, for almost 24 hours and has since weakened to a Category 2 storm but is on course to strike near Florida.
It was expected to bring hurricane conditions to the southernmost US state overnight, before bringing its powerful winds and dangerous surf along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina by late Thursday.
The storm could drive seawater inland as it approaches, with parts of the northern Florida and Georgia coasts seeing as much as 7 feet (2.1 metres), said National Hurricane Centre Director Ken Graham, urging residents of coastal areas to obey any evacuation orders.
Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles (95 km) from the storm's core, with still-dangerous tropical storm-force winds felt for 175 miles (280 km) from its centre.
Nine counties in Florida have issued mandatory evacuation orders. They included parts of Duval County, which includes Jacksonville, one of Florida's two biggest cities, and some areas in Palm Beach County, home to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Orlando International Airport ceased commercial operations because of the storm, it said in a statement.
Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando will close early on Tuesday, it said in a statement.
The US military has been authorized to provide logistics, health and engineering support to the Bahamas for up for 14 days if needed, General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the head of US Northern Command, told reporters on Tuesday.
As many as 13,000 homes in the region may have been destroyed or severely damaged, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
Abaco may require food for 14,500 people and Grand Bahama for 45,700 people, the UN World Food Programme said in a statement. The preliminary estimates were based on an assessment by representatives from Caribbean countries, the WFP and other organizations.
Dorian was expected to bring hurricane conditions to Florida overnight, before bringing its powerful winds and dangerous surf along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina by late Thursday.
After days of warnings to flee a storm that at its peak was rated at the top of the scale of hurricane strength, many residents of Florida's coast remained unsure whether to wait it out or evacuate.
"I know it's a mandatory evacuation, but everyone I talked to is staying, and I don't know what to do. But I'm going to be ready and packed up in case I need to get on the road if they close those bridges," Linda Cassano, a 53-year-old beautician who lives on Jacksonville Beach said as she stocked up on water and food.
"What deterred me is everything was open, the garbage man came today, the post office was delivering, so those things kind of make you indecisive."
Further north, the streets of Sea Island, Georgia, were largely empty on Tuesday after many visitors heeded evacuation orders, said Kathryn Ross, owner of the Pelican Market grocery store.
"It's like a ghost town. People really packed it up and left. I went running - I was running partly in the road because there was no one there," Ross said in a phone interview. "I think people know the drill and have places set up to stay."
Agencies contributed to this report
