INTERNATIONAL - North Carolina residents rushed to stack up on food, water, toilet paper, and other necessities as 'monster' Hurricane Florence is set to touch down in the state early this weekend.
A rowdy crowd was shown in a Facebook video shared by an employee from the supermarket off Glenn School Road in Durham Tuesday pushing one another and shouting as they hurried around the store to gather their supplies.
Police officers were even spotted making their rounds around the Walmart to ensure the safety of shoppers.
One officer is seen restraining a young boy as another shopper drops several bottles of water.
Florence became a dangerous Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon before it downgraded to a Category 2 Wednesday night with winds at 110mph.
More than 1.7 million people were warned to evacuate and get out of the way of the 'life-threatening' storm's path.
The storms path is promising to bring even more devastation than first predicted to the Carolinas and parts of Georgia.
The Michigan-sized storm is set to linger for days and cause catastrophic flooding with up to four feet of rain and 13-foot storm surges.
The new trajectory means the storm will idle at sea for longer, creating even heavier and prolonged rains and storm surges for the Carolinas and possibly northern parts of Georgia.
Forecasters say those areas could be battered with hurricane conditions for at least 24 hours.
At least 25 million residents are at risk from the storm and experts predict its current path could cause up to $170 billion worth of damage, hit up to 759,000 homes and businesses and become the costliest storm to ever hit the U.S.
Hurricane-force winds will reach the Carolina coasts late Thursday or early Friday.
'This storm is a monster. It's big and it's vicious. It is an extremely, dangerous, life-threatening, historic hurricane,' said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
'The waves and the wind this storm may bring is nothing like you've ever seen. Even if you've ridden out storms before, this one is different. Don't bet your life on riding out a monster.
'North Carolina, my message is clear: Disaster is at the doorstep, and it’s coming in.'