Hurricane Florence is quickly gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean as it moves on a track for a direct strike on the East Coast, transforming from a Category 1 storm to a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane on Monday morning.

The National Hurricane Center predicts Florence could gain even more strength, and states of emergency have already been declared in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

The massive hurricane poses a serious threat as it barrels toward a landfall somewhere along the East Coast on Thursday.

Florence is currently about 600 miles south of Bermuda and it's quickly gaining strength as it moves northwest toward the US.

The eye of the storm is expected to fall on Wilmington, North Carolina.

Winds could reach upwards of 150 miles per hour with catastrophic flooding. People in coastal communities are taking all precautions.

"We are just going to do everything we can here to get everything secure as possible and then give the rest to God and see what happens," one resident said.

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