Hurricane Joaquin makes dramatic turn away from US - but warning of major flooding from South Carolina to New England as five states declare emergency 

• Storm roared through Bahamas on Thursday on the way to the East Coast 
• Rain caused floods that killed man in North and woman in South Carolina 
• Five governors called a state of emergency as planned for major disaster
• Storm now shifted route away from coastline - but may still cause flooding  

By Alexandra Klausner For Dailymail.com and James Dunn For Mailonline

Published: 19:25 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 09:40 EST, 2 October 2015

The East Coast is set to be spared from a major disaster after Hurricane Joaquin changed course away from the coastline - but could still cause major flooding.

Forecasters say the massive storm set to devastate the Carolinas, New York and New Jersey has today turned away from the coast, after five governors declared a state of emergency in preparation.

But the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the huge category 4 storm is likely to still cause flooding from the already saturated South Carolina to New England in the North.

Scroll down for video 

Heading north: The National Hurricane Center's forecast map shows winds of 110mph as the heart of the storm moves up towards North Carolina at 8pm on Sunday. It then predicts winds of 75-110mph as the storm works its way north towards Nova Scotia in Canada.

Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), talks about the status of Hurricane Joaquin as it moves through the eastern Bahamas, at the National Hurricane Center

Getting ready for the storm: Scan analyst Kristen Nice readies cases of bottled water for sale at the Food Lion in Newport News, Virginia

A woman in South Carolina and a man in North Carolina - warned to expect up to ten inches of rain in the coming days - have already died due to flooding in the states.

Governors of New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland all declared states of emergency and announced various measures, including the mobilization of National Guard troops, in preparation for the storm.

'I cannot stress enough that we are talking about the real possibility of deadly flooding in many areas around our state,' North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory told a news conference on Thursday.

The NHC's long-term forecast had predicted the storm could near the U.S. East Coast along North Carolina and Virginia on Sunday or Monday, and possibly New Jersey a day later.

But new predictions expect it to hit further east as the heart of the storm, with winds of more than 110mph today moves directly north from the Bahamas, where it has devastated sparsely populated islands.

It will move north east across the sea later today and will be inline with North Carolina at 2am on Monday, when residents should expect the worst of the heavy rainfall they were warned to prepare for by the governor.

It will continue to move north easterly throughout Monday, and will be alongside the coast of New Jersey at 2am on Tuesday. The heart of the storm will be miles out at sea but residents are warned to prepare for the impact of high winds and heavy rain could be felt on the coastline. 

The NHC said: 'A strong majority of forecast models is now in agreement on a track farther away from the United States East Coast.

'We are becoming optimistic that the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic states will avoid the direct effects from Joaquin.' 

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory yesterday warned that towns on the Outer Banks should take special precautions as rain has been falling there nonstop for a week.

Emergency: New Jersey governor Chris Christie addresses a gathering as he says the state is preparing for a possible weekend rainstorm on Thursday. Governors up and down the East Coast are warning residents to prepare for drenching storms as flooding killed one person Thursday in South Carolina

Closing the base: Airmen and volunteers place sandbags outside of a building at Langley Air Force Base Thursday afternoon, as heavy rain falls in Hampton, Virginia The base will be closed to all non-mission essential personnel beginning on Friday morning based on projected tidal surges and potential flooding

McCrory warned that up to 10 inches of rain could fall in North Carolina's mountains and foothills and cause problem for residents there, reports Fox. 

'Residents of the Carolinas north should be paying attention and monitoring the storm. There's no question,' said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist. 

'If your hurricane plans got a little dusty because of the light hurricane season, now is a good time to update them.' 

South Carolina's Emergency Management Division said in a Thursday release that residents should review emergency plans and prepare to take further action if the storm threatens the Palmetto State.

'Even if Hurricane Joaquin heads out to sea, the entire state could experience significant flooding from heavy rains that are predicted,' SCEMD Director Kim Stenson said in the release. 

'We've already seen flooding in many parts of South Carolina, these storm systems could make conditions worse.'

Maryland governor Larry Hogan also declared a state of emergency on Thursday so that emergency responders could begin preparing for flooding, heavy rain, and other damage.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie said that people should be prepared for the storm but that they shouldn't worry.

'I'd say be prepared but don't panic,' New Jersey Christie said during a morning news conference Thursday.

'We don't know for sure where the hurricane is going to go,' Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf told CNN. 'But we have no ground, at all, for complacency.'

Hurricane Joaquin unleashed heavy flooding as it roared through sparsely populated islands in the eastern Bahamas on Thursday as a Category 4 storm, with forecasters warning it could grow even stronger before carving a path that would take it near the U.S. East Coast.

This week, the storm battered trees and buildings as surging waters reached the windows of some homes on Long Island in the Bahamas and completely inundated the airport runway at Ragged Island. 

There were no immediate reports of casualties, according to capt. Stephen Russell, the director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency.

Prime Minister Perry Christie said he was amending laws to mandate evacuations because some people were refusing to move into shelters.

'We do not know the impact of 140 miles an hour on those areas,' he said, referring to the hurricane's winds. 

'We know it's a horrific kind of experience.'

Forecast maps show the storm passing the Bahamas and then making its way toward the U.S. over the next couple of days, though it's currently still unknown where or if the hurricane will make landfall in the United States. Above, the storm at 9.37am on Thursday

Christie and other top-ranking officials also deflected accusations that the government was not prepared and that residents were not properly advised.

People on the island of Eleuthera braced for the approaching storm late Thursday as they hauled sandbags and boarded up businesses.

'It's going to be a scary storm,' said 42-year-old construction worker Jason Petty as he pointed at towering clouds gathering to the north as the sun went down in Eleuthera. 

'It looks nice now, but later on it's going to be terrible, just terrible.'

Petty was helping friend Demetrius Johnson, owner of Majestic 9 barber shop, prepare for the storm. Johnson had been sharing pictures of the damage in Acklins and other islands through Whatsapp as he waited for the storm.

A boar is removed from the water in Newport News, Virginia, in preparation for Hurricane Joaquin which could hit there as soon as Sunday

'People weren't taking this storm seriously until 48 hours ago,' he said. 

'But now it's a Category 4, and we know it's serious.'

Christian minister Dawn Taylor said she believed Eleuthera would withstand the hurricane because Bahamians learned how to cope with storms after devastating Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which hit with winds of 155 mph (249 kph) and generated up to 50-foot (15-meter) waves.

Taylor said people on Eleuthera also are deeply religious and that their faith would carry them through.

'We depend on our God, and as long as he is with us, we will be fine and we will ride out the storm,' she said.

The storm approached Eleuthera after it generated severe flooding on Acklins, where power went off overnight and phones were down. Russell said some of the roughly 565 people who live there were trapped in their homes.

One weather model shows what Hurricane Joaquin will look like out at sea at some point over the weekend

Hurricane Joaquin could then possibly make landfall in New Jersey and New York City on Monday, by hooking back towards the tri-state area 

Preparation: Garrett Jones packs life vests into a container aboard the North Lenoir Volunteer Fire Department's swift water rescue boat on Thursdain Kinston, North Carolina. The boat, equipped with sonar and other life saving equipment, will be ready to deploy in the event of flooding from Hurricane Joaquin

Bahamas resident Shandira Forbes said she had spoken to her mother on Acklins by phone Thursday.

'She was calling for help because the sea was coming into her house,' Forbes said. 

'People's roofs were lifting up. No one knew (about the storm), so there was no preparedness, there was no meeting, there was nothing.'

Islands such as San Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay were expected to be hit hardest before the storm begins an expected shift toward the north, forecasters said.

Joaquin had maximum sustained winds of 130mph (210kph) and hurricane strength winds extending 45miles (75km) from the eye, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

As of 5pm EDT, the storm was located about 15 miles (25km) northwest of Crooked Island after passing over Samana Cays, Bahamas. It was moving southwest at 6mph (9kph). 

In New Jersey: Erosion from a coastal storm is evident along beaches near Second Avenue in North Wildwood on Thursday. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency ahead of a storm expected to bring heavy rain and flooding

Luke Seymour, of Canton, N.Y., braves 30-knot winds and heavy surf to try his luck fishing off the Second Avenue beach in North Wildwood, New Jersey on Thursday

While Samana Cays is usually uninhabited, eight to 10 people were working there, staying in temporary housing, when the storm hit, said parliament member Alfred Gray.

'If the buildings look like they won't withstand, there are some caves on the side of the rock that they can go into because it's not prone to flooding,' he said.

Meanwhile, authorities in the nearby Turks & Caicos Islands closed all airports, schools and government offices.

The storm was predicted to turn to the north and northwest toward the United States on Friday, but forecasters were trying to determine how it might affect the U.S. East Coast, which was already suffering flooding and heavy rains from separate storms.

'There's still a distinct possibility that his could make landfall somewhere in the U.S.,' said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and hurricane center spokesman.

The Hurricane Center said parts of the Bahamas could see storm surge raising sea levels 5 to 10 feet (as much as 3 meters) above normal, with 10 to 15 inches (250 to 380 millimeters) of rain falling on the central Bahamas. 

Flooding: Flood waters from high tide block Oxford Place just off the Black Horse Pike (Route 40), Thursday in West Atlantic City, NJ, The Black Horse Pike was shut down for a couple of hours as northeast winds and high tides caused moderate flooding along the roadway

Comments (55)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now