At North Carolina aquariums, creatures to ride out storm alone

A full rainbow over the empty parking area of the North Carolina Aquarium At Fort Fisher highlights the Aquariums spadefish fountain, as staff prepares for Hurricane Florence in Kure Beach, North Carolina, U.S. September 11, 2018. Courtesy Jane Kepler/N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher/Handout via REUTERS

WILMINGTON, N.C. (Reuters) - From turtles to fish, the denizens of two North Carolina aquariums will be facing Hurricane Florence alone after their handlers were forced to leave under mandatory evacuation orders.

Florence, a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale and still growing, is expected to strike North Carolina late Thursday or early Friday, potentially bringing deadly high seas and catastrophic flooding.