Axios

Several nuclear power plants in North Carolina and nearby states are bracing for Hurricane Florence, including a plant right in its path with the same design as the Japanese reactors that melted down in 2011 when a tsunami knocked out backup power.

Why it matters: While the probability is very low, the risk of a storm-fueled accident at a nuclear plant could be devastating and threaten the health of tens of thousands of people living nearby.

Hurricane Florence is on track for an unprecedented collision with the Carolinas, where it threatens to bring a deadly mix of storm surge flooding, high winds and catastrophic inland flooding.

The big picture: Florence is a nightmare of a storm: It's unusually large, contains waves towering to at least 83 feet, and is preparing to push a virtual wall of water onto the coastlines of North and South Carolina. The surge will not behave the same way residents of coastal communities there are used to. Instead, it may hammer the coast of North Carolina for 24 hours or more, and then slide from northeast to southwest, down into South Carolina, as the storm meanders.

Dan dives into Hurricane Florence and how extreme weather impacts business, with Axios Science editor Andrew Freedman. Plus, talk of possible vaping ban and why Sprint's merger with T-Mobile is no longer a sure bet.

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• Go deeper: The energy stakes of Hurricane Florence

Even though it's not heading for the Gulf Coast oil belt, Hurricane Florence could create some serious energy disruptions.

Threat level: Infrastructure in the storm's path includes the Colonial and Plantation Pipelines that carry refined products through the Carolinas.

New York House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced the Trump administration for its response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico — where the storm ultimately resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths — after the president's repeated praise.

"The 1 year anniversary of Hurricane María is next week. Some of my PR family JUST got power a few weeks ago. People are developing respiratory issues partly due to airborne fungal spores from lack of proper cleanup. The admin’s response to Puerto Rico has been a disaster."

Go deeper: Lawmakers push back against Trump's Maria comments.

As Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast, President Trump again touted his administration's "unappreciated great job" in Puerto Rico responding to last year's Hurricane Maria — a storm that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people — in a Wednesday morning tweet.

"We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent Mayor of San Juan). We are ready for the big one that is coming!"

Go deeper: Lawmakers push back against Trump's Maria comments.

Hurricane Florence will likely wreak havoc on the health care systems in North and South Carolina when it makes landfall later this week, and preparations are already underway to deal with consequences ranging from stranded patients to disruptions in high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The big picture: As we all learned from Hurricane Maria, a major storm's impact on health care lasts a long time. The Southeast mainland has better existing infrastructure than Puerto Rico did, but there's still a lot to prepare for.

Hurricane Florence continues to churn menacingly toward the Carolina coastline — about two days away from coming very close to landfall in North Carolina. The storm will be capable of causing extreme damage, and will deliver a deadly one-two punch of coastal impacts from storm surge flooding and high winds, along with an inland deluge that will turn farms and communities into a virtual extension of the Atlantic.

The big picture: The odds that Florence will hit the brakes as it nears the coast have increased, and while this could lower the storm's peak winds at landfall, it will only mean a different set of deadly impacts. The storm surge flooding from a massive storm with an unusually large wind field and slow forward speed, along with freshwater inland flooding from a staggering amount of rain — up to 3 feet in some areas, are the leading threats to pay attention to.

During a meeting on the approach of Hurricane Florence, President Trump said his administration's response to Hurricane Maria was "incredibly successful," calling it "one of the best jobs that's ever been done."

Why it matters: Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria, a number many lawmakers are pointing to in rebuking Trump's comments. The administration has previously faced heavy criticism for its response to the Category 4 storm that knocked out Puerto Rico's power grid and caused a humanitarian disaster.

The latest projections predict Hurricane Florence could stall just off the North Carolina coast, dumping feet of rain inland while sustained hurricane force winds complicate rescue and recovery efforts.

The big picture: "North Carolina has been hit by only one other Category 4 storm since reliable record keeping began in the 1850s. That was Hurricane Hazel in 1954," the AP's Emery Dalesio reports.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for the coasts of North and South Carolina, as Hurricane Florence barrels toward the East Coast of the United States.

Go deeper: Hurricane Florence is a storm threat unlike any other.

Hurricane Florence is a nightmare storm for the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic. The reasons stem from the hurricane's power, size, forward speed and the longstanding vulnerability of the area it is forecast to hit. Click here for the latest updates on the storm.

The big picture: There are no historical analogs to compare Florence to. Its forecast track is unprecedented, and its array and magnitude of threats are as well.