Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.
The storm’s eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 km per hour, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.
“It’s not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours,” South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. “If you can leave early, do that.”
