Hurricane Florence’s Intense Winds Send Gas Station Canopy Sailing Across Parking Lot

Hurricane Florence has officially made landfall in North Carolina, and the storm has quickly made its presence known.

Major damage has already been done to the area, with people sharing clips of water rushing toward houses and more on social media.

One video sees a gas station failing to withstand the force of Florence’s winds, with a BP station in Topsail Beach, North Carolina losing its canopy as the Catgory 1 storm blew through the area.

The video begins with the canopy in its normal state, with winds whipping at it as the structure begins to shake. The canopy then begins tipping precariously to one side, the winds bending it as if it’s made from paper. It ultimately topples on its side before the wind blows it across the parking lot, breaking its supports and sending the structure crashing to the ground.

A hurricane’s category only measures its wind speed, and Florence still has the potential to cause catastrophic damage thanks to heavy rains and storm surges.

“Catastrophic effects will be felt outside the center of the storm due to storm surge as high as 9 to 13 feet. That’s the second story of a house,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday, via CNN. “Tens of thousands of structures are expected to be flooded, and many more by rising rivers and creeks.”

“With this storm, it’s a (Category 1) but the storm surge and the flooding is going to be that of a category 4,” CNN Meteorologist Jennifer Gray explained Thursday night.

MPR News reports that half-million homes and businesses are without power, a statistic that will likely rise as the storm expands its reach.

In one area, over 60 people had to be pulled from a collapsing motel, in just one of many buildings that have already been damaged by the storm.

Before Florence hit, millions of people were evacuated after mandatory evacuation orders were issued in multiple states, but there were still people who did not heed the order and were hoping for rescue as Florence began its assault.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told those who were ordered to evacuate that if they do not leave, no one will be arriving to help them.

“Even the rescuers cannot stay there,” he said, via CBS Miami.

Photo Credit: Twitter / @CBSNews