As Hurricane Florence made landfall on North Carolina’s coast early Friday morning, the storm was downgraded again to a category one, but wind remained high at 100 mile-per-hour gusts and a deluge of rain — over a foot in some places — was wreaking destruction.
Winds and floods along both Carolina coasts will continue all day, imperiling human lives and property. Retailers have had a role in helping people prepare and will aid in the aftermath. Many themselves run stores in the hurricane’s path, so their employees and properties are also in danger.