WASHINGTON (AP) — Ports are closing. Farmers are moving hogs to high ground. Dealers are parking cars in service bays for refuge. And up to 3 million energy customers in North and South Carolina could lose power for weeks.

Across the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia, businesses are bracing for the economic damage Hurricane Florence is expected to inflict on the area. Industries like tourism and agriculture will likely suffer, and the losses won't be easily or quickly overcome.

Once it makes landfall, Florence is expected to lash coastal communities with high winds and dump several feet of water...