Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a mandatory evacuation for low-lying coastal areas as Hurricane Florence continues barreling toward the east coast.
Northam said at a press conference Monday afternoon that residents of parts of the Hampton Roads area and Eastern Shore must begin evacuating by 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, an order that is estimated to affect about 245,000 people.
Immediately after the announcement, the state's emergency management website, which includes zone designations for evacuation plans, crashed, likely due to the increased traffic. Almost an hour after Northam's announcement, the website was still returning an error message.
Florence is currently a Category 4 hurricane and could ramp up to a Category 5 by Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned of surges and "exceptionally heavy rainfall" as the storm eventually reaches land.
Governors in North and South Carolina have also issued mandatory evacuation orders in coastal areas.
As of the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. advisory, Florence currently sits 525 miles south-southeast of Bermuda with sustained winds up to 140 mph.
Virginia, North and South Carolina and Maryland have all also declared states of emergency.
