8 MONTHS OF RAIN IN 3 DAYS
Flood risk warning in aftermath of Hurricane Florence
PARTS of the US were battered by a brutal storm yesterday as Hurricane Florence took hold.
Towns were being flooded as raging sea waters clobbered coastal areas, leaving residents stranded and tens of thousands of homes without power.
Last night it claimed its first lives with four people killed, including a mother and baby. Officials warned of more deaths amid risks of “catastrophic” flooding.
And National Weather Service forecaster Brandon Locklear said the region is likely to see eight months’ worth of rain fall in three days. He added it is so widespread, “you will find it hard to find a NC resident who has not been impacted”.
Evacuation warnings were in place for more than a million people and North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said surviving the storm would be a test of “endurance, teamwork, common sense and patience”.
He added: “The first bands of the storm are upon us but we have days more to go.”
Major General Gregory Lusk said more than 500 activated soldiers and airmen “are already responding to calls over the state”.
Meanwhile, a Weather Channel forecast shocked viewers as a presenter stood in the middle of computerised rising flood water, which had a car floating on its surface.
She said: “When the storm surge reaches – this could be about to knock you off my feet. This is extremely dangerous and life-threatening.”