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One serious danger is flooding.

\"All the predictions are when it gets to the coast it’ll be moving slow so it’ll be dumping rain on us and North Carolina for a long time,\" South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told \"Good Morning America” Tuesday. \"This hurricane is big and strong and it’s bigger than Hurricane Hugo, which we had back in 1989.\"

Heavy rain could flood hog manure pits and industrial sites in North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. That tainted water could wash into houses, and affect drinking water.

\"PHOTO:
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
PHOTO: Michael Schwartz (L) and Jay Schwartz secure plywood over the windows of their business ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 11, 2018, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
>

North Carolina and Virginia could get up to 30 inches of rain while Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., could see more than 10 inches of rain.

\"PHOTO:
ABC News
PHOTO: Hurricane Florence Rainfall Forecast
>

Storm surge is also a major threat, potentially reaching 12 feet in some areas.

\"PHOTO:
ABC News
PHOTO: Hurricane Florence Storm Surge
>
\"PHOTO:
ABC News
PHOTO: Hurricane Florence Storm Surge
>

As the storm churns ahead with 130 mph winds, states of emergency have been declared in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Residents and visitors on South Carolina's coast were ordered to evacuate Tuesday.

\"PHOTO:
AP
PHOTO: Mike Herring with Frank's Ice Company unloads another pallet of ice as people buy supplies at The Home Depot on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, in Wilmington, N.C.
>

Boeing is suspending its operations in South Carolina because of the storm threat.

Some coastal areas of North Carolina and Virginia are also under mandatory evacuation orders.

Some Virginia inmates are among those evacuating, according to the state's Department of Corrections.

\"PHOTO:
AP
PHOTO: Walker Townsend, at right, from the Isle of Palms, S.C., fills a sand bag while Dalton Trout, in center, holds the bag at the Isle of Palms municipal lot in preparation for Hurricane Florence at the Isle of Palms S.C., Monday, Sept. 10, 2018.
>

Photos: Slideshow: Worst hurricanes in US history

ABC News' Jason Volack contributed to this report.

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