NORTH CAROLINA -- Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of the possible landfall of Hurricane Florence on North Carolina's coast. The governor says this declaration will help farmers transport crops in a quicker more timely manner ahead of the storm. 

"While it’s still too early to know the storm’s path, we know we have to be prepared,” Gov. Cooper said. “During harvest, time is of the essence. Action today can avoid losses due to Florence."

The American Red Cross has many suggestion for preparing in advance for storms, such as:

• Have an emergency kit for the family
• Know your evacuation route
• Load up on gas in your cars
• Have your phones charged in case there is loss of power for a significant amount of time 

A complete check-list can be found here.

Meteorologists say, as of Friday, there is no guarantee the state will see any impact of Florence but it is important to stay prepared in advance. 

"Personally I'm going to be preparing and if we don't see any impacts I'm going to be very grateful, but I'm going to be prepared for the next storm or even prepared for winter storm season," said Spectrum News' Chief Meteorologist Gary Stephenson. 

If North Carolina sees any impacts from Florence, Stephenson says it will likely be between Wednesday and Friday.