The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered merchant ships and ports in the mid-Atlantic region to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Florence, which is expected to reach shore on Friday.

Hurricane Lane will bring high winds and heavy rainfall to the Hawaiian Islands over the next several days.

Local communities play a critical role in recognizing and combating slavery, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual publication that provides a global overview of the nature and scope of human trafficking — and various efforts underway to confront it.