Florida residents lined up in grocery stores and at gas stations Thursday to stock up in preparation for possible impacts from Hurricane Dorian, which forecasters said could hit the state as a major hurricane over the Labor Day holiday.

"All Floridians really need to monitor Hurricane Dorian and make the necessary preparations," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Thursday morning. "This is a track that has a significant amount of uncertainty."

"You could make the case that this could have an effect in every part of the state," he said during a visit to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

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(MORE: Get the Latest Updates on Dorian's Projected Path)

Tiffany Miranda of Miami Springs lined up at BJ's Wholesale Club in Hialeah to buy her hurricane supplies. Some 50 vehicles sat waiting to fill up at the store's 12 gas pumps.

"You never know with these hurricanes. It could be good, it could be bad. You just have to be prepared," Mirando told the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 26 Florida counties in the possible path of Dorian. A day later, he expanded the emergency declaration to all 67 counties in the state.

The declaration opens up resources and funding for local governments and emergency management agencies as they prepare for the storm and recover afterward. DeSantis said the declaration also should make it easier to get fuel and water to areas where supplies are running low.

Again he urged all Floridians to be ready for the storm.

"If you don't prepare and then it has a track that really impacts you, then you're going to be in trouble," DeSantis said.

Florida Power and Light said it had 13,000 extra employees ready to help with restoring power after the storm if needed, according to the AP. The utility also said it was working with utilities around the country to send crews to assist.

(MORE: 4 Things to Know About Dorian)

Dorian was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it hit the Virgin Islands on Wednesday. The latest forecast said Dorian could be a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph when it arrives in Florida.

“The risk of devastating hurricane-force winds along the Florida east coast and peninsula late this weekend and early next week continues to increase,” the National Hurricane Center said.

DeSantis tweeted on Wednesday that everyone on Florida's east coast "should have 7 days of supplies, prepare their homes & follow the track closely."

The University of Central Florida in Orlando announced it would close at 5 p.m. Friday and remain closed through at least Tuesday. The University of North Florida in Jacksonville said it would close from Saturday until at least Tuesday.

Schools in Brevard and Palm Beach counties made changes in Friday night football schedules by moving some games to Thursday night and canceling others, Florida Today reported. Several other schools announced weekend activities had been canceled.

Officials at Kennedy Space Center, as well as the state's major ports and military bases, had already initiated their planning processes Wednesday, and several county governments along Florida's east-central coast started distributing sandbags.

At the space center, NASA decided on Thursday to move its massive mobile launch tower to safety, and planned to have a crew on-site to ride out the storm.

At Walt Disney World, thousands of people worry Dorian could disrupt their plans to visit the newest attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which opened to the public Thursday. Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival also opened this week.

(MORE: Labor Day Weekend Events in Florida at Risk Because of Dorian)

The U.S. Coast Guard issued an announcement warning that ships at many of the state's major ports, including the ports of Canaveral, Miami, Tampa and Manatee, should be prepared to leave if necessary.

At least three military bases in the state – Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport, as well as Patrick Air Force Base – had activated their hurricane protocols.

Residents headed out to stock up on water and other supplies. The bottled water section at a Sam's Club in Cocoa, about 45 miles east of Orlando, was already wiped out Wednesday afternoon despite a limit of two cases per customer. Water was also nearly sold out at a nearby Walmart and several other retailers.

Lines were growing Thursday at gas stations in Palm Beach County. It was tough finding water, too, the Palm Beach Post reported. Publix, Target and Walmart shelves emptied on Wednesday, but the stores were expecting more deliveries throughout Thursday. Costco was limiting customers to two flats of water per person.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said at a news conference Thursday that residents should use tap water instead of searching for scare water bottles. He urged residents to fill jugs with water and store as many as possible in their freezers.

Broward County's Mayor Mark Bogen also offered advice in a news conference Thursday afternoon. He said no matter the path Dorian takes, residents should expect a power outage and they should have food that doesn't need refrigeration and flashlights and batteries. Shelters have not opened in Broward, but, Bogen said, residents should know where the shelters are and they should have plans ready in case an evacuation order comes.

Georgia

Ahead of expected impacts from Dorian, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for 12 Georgia counties on Thursday afternoon. The emergency declaration makes state resources available for preparations and storm response.

In Hampton, Atlanta Motor Speedway announced that its camping facilities have been opened to take in hurricane evacuees, if needed.