MIAMI - Residents in some low-lying communities of Florida are being asked to evacuate as Hurricane Hermine takes aim at the state.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports emergency management officials in Franklin County have issued a mandatory evacuation notice for people living on St. George Island, Dog Island, Alligator Point and Bald Point. Residents in other low-lying areas prone to flooding area also being asked to evacuate.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Florida's Big Bend from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. On the East Coast, a tropical storm warning has been issued for an area that extends from Marineland, Florida, northward to the South Santee River in South Carolina.

Hermine's maximum sustained winds Thursday are near 78 mph.