CHARLESTON, S.C. – Hurricane Dorian swept past Florida on a collision course with the Carolinas, claiming its first life in the U.S. and promising heavy rains, powerful winds and damaging surge.

The historic storm had technically diminished to Category 2 but actually had grown in size following its devastating roll through the Bahamas. Dorian was about 90 miles northeast of Daytona Beach early Wednesday with 105 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said.

More than 1 million coastal residents from Florida to North Carolina were facing evacuation orders.

“Leave now if you are in an area where an evacuation has been ordered,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged. “It is not worth putting your life or the life of first responders at risk.”

Cooper said an 85-year-old man fell to his death from a ladder while preparing his Columbus County home for the storm. At least seven deaths have been linked to Dorian in the Bahamas.

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Hurricane Dorian vs. the Bahamas: How these popular destinations fared

Federal emergency declarations have been approved for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Gov. Ralph Northam declared an emergency in his state as well. 

Parts of the Florida coast were experiencing heavy rains and winds Wednesday. The center of Dorian was forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.

Areas of the coast could see 10 inches of rain and several feet of storm surge, the hurricane center warned.

The tropical-storm-force wind field has expanded up to 175 miles from the center, with hurricane-force winds stretching 60 miles, AccuWeather warned. AccuWeather Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said Dorian could draw within 30 miles of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – and possibly make landfall there – late Thursday.

“It’s the three capes of North Carolina where I think we will get a landfall, or within 20 to 30 miles: Cape Fear, Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras,” Rayno added.

Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said the Carolinas could see as much as 4 to 7 feet of storm surge. Anything above 3 feet is considered life-threatening, he said.

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A road is flooded during the passing of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 2, 2019. Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 4 assault that forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes.
An aerial view shows destruction at a leisure boat harbor at the Bahamas after hurricane Dorian hit the islands on September 2, 2019.
Submerged car sit submerged in water from Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019. Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward after being stationary over the Bahamas, where its relentless winds have caused catastrophic damage and flooding.
Julia Aylen wades through waist deep water carrying her pet dog as she is rescued from her flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Sand is swept into the streets as Hurricane Dorian approaches on September 1, 2019 in Nassau, Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, packing 160 mph (267 kph) winds as it was about to slam into the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, US weather forecasters said.
An aerial view of in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas shows damage caused by Hurricane Dorian on September 2, 2019. The US Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater forward deployed MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews medevac seven critical patients from the Marsh Harbour Clinic to Nassau for further medical care.
Sand pours on to a road near the beach during the approach of Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019 in Nassau, Bahamas.
An aerial view from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater forward-deployed four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter shows heavy flooding takes over in low lying areas in the Bahamas after hurricane Dorian hit the islands on September 2, 2019.
A street is flooded as Hurricane Dorian hits the Bahamas with heavy winds on September 3, 2019. Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall on the Bahamas as category 5 and now reclassified as category 4, is expected to continue on its projected path towards the Florida coast in the upcoming days.
Tree branches are seen in the road during the approach of Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Matthew Aylen wades through waist deep water as he is rescued from her flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Destroyed trees are seen near houses in Central Pines in Marsh Harbour on Abaco Island in the Bahamas on September 2, 2019. Monster storm Dorian came to a near stand-still over the Bahamas, prolonging the agony as surging seawaters and hurricane winds made a shambles of low-lying island communities and spurred mass evacuations along the US east coast.
An Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew provides search and rescue support and humanitarian aid in the Bahamas on September 2, 2019, as Hurricane Dorian makes its way across the Bahamas.
Rain brought on by Hurricane Dorian continues to pour in Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
A flooded road is seen in Freeport in the Grand Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019, as hurricane Dorian passes.
A family is escorted to a safe zone after they were rescued as rain from Hurricane Dorian continues in Freeport, Bahamas, on Sept. 3, 2019. The center of Hurricane Dorian is finally moving away from Grand Bahama island but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says the island will continue getting dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge through the evening.
People walk through a flooded road as they try to rescue families near Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Residents work to rescue each other in small boats near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
A man who was trapped by flood waters from Hurricane Dorian is transported out of the area by volunteers on a jet ski near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Volunteers rescue several families from the rising waters from Hurricane Dorian, near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
First responders escort an injured person from Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco Island from Odyssey Avaiation after U.S Coast Guard evacuated people from Island on Sept. 3, 2019.
A volunteer looks for the owner of a dog he rescued from the rising waters caused by Hurricane Dorian near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Volunteers rescue a family from the rising waters caused by Hurricane Dorian, near the Causarina Bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, on Sept. 3, 2019.
A catamaran thrown onshore by the hurricane lays stranded near a highway close to Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sept. 3, 2019.
Damage from Hurricane Dorian on Abaco Island on Sept. 3, 2019, in the Bahamas.
Damage from Hurricane Dorian on Abaco Island on Sept. 3, 2019, in the Bahamas.

In South Carolina, Charleston residents were monitoring the storm closely. Johnny Smith, who lives in a downtown housing complex, remembered last year and how Hurricane Florence had no impact.

Smith, 52, is a veteran of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the most violent storm to strike South Carolina in modern history.

“We don’t play with hurricanes,” Smith said. “When the tide is high, we get flooded out.”

More: Stunning satellite images show Hurricane Dorian’s floodwaters engulfing The Bahamas

Smith said he’s awaiting more direction from the local media on the track of the storm but will evacuate if there’s a hint it could have a severe impact, despite having seen a lot of “near-misses.”

“One year it can pass, the next year you can have an all-out hurricane,” Smith said. “It would break my heart to see people hurt and lose their home. You’re kind of pulled in both directions. You hope for the best.”

Concerns over Dorian were easing in Florida. Orlando International Airport opened and local theme parks were open for business. 

In Indialantic, tattoo artist Alex Wilson said he rode out the storm at home with his chihuahuas, Rosie and Penny. His wife, who works for the county, was stationed overnight at a shelter in Viera.

There was little damage after the storm, he said, and they didn’t even lose power. He and his wife waited a week for the lights to come on after Irma in 2017.

“When you look at the Bahamas, we dodged a bullet,” Wilson said.

Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Janine Zeitlin, Fort Myers News-Press; Eric Rogers, Florida Today.