People living on Florida's Gulf Coast are stocking up on supplies today as they brace for Tropical Storm Hermine, which forecasters said could strike land as a hurricane, according to the Associated Press.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Florida's Big Bend from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. Also, on the East Coast, a tropical storm warning was issued for an area extending from Marineland, Florida, northward to the South Santee River in South Carolina.

Likely to become Category 1 hurricane 

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hermine was likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane when it lands in Florida on Thursday night or early Friday. Residents in some low-lying communities in Florida were being asked to evacuate Thursday as the storm approached. 

Emergency management officials in Franklin County have issued a mandatory evacuation notice for people living on St. George Island, Dog Island, Alligator Point and Bald Point. Residents in other low-lying, flood-prone areas were also being asked to evacuate.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered state government offices in 51 counties to close at noon Thursday. The order included the state capital of Tallahassee, home to tens of thousands of state workers. The city, roughly 35 miles from the coast, has not had a direct hit by hurricane in 30 years.

The last hurricane to strike Florida was Hurricane Wilma, which entered the state from along southwest Gulf coast as a major Category 3 storm on Oct. 24, 2005. It swept across the Everglades and struck highly-populated south Florida, causing five deaths in the state and an estimated $23 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Georgia and South Carolina

Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency for 56 counties through Saturday, in anticipation of high water and strong winds.

In South Carolina, Hermine was expected to bring heavy rains to the state Friday. In Charleston County, emergency officials have a message for residents: Stay home on Friday. The storm is expected to flood streets in the Charleston area.

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