Florence producing ‘epic’ rainfall, more forecast
WILSON, NC: Tropical Storm Florence dumped ‘‘epic’’ amounts of rain on North and South Carolina as it crept inland yesterday, knocking out power and causing at least eight deaths as floodwaters that have devastated many communities kept rising.
Florence’s intensity has diminished since it roared ashore along the US midAtlantic coast on Friday (local time) as a hurricane. But its slow march over the two states, crawling west at only 6kmh, is expected to leave large parts of the region deluged in the coming days, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said yesterday.
‘‘This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches,’’ North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said.
His state had already endured record rainfall, with much more forecast to come. Rivers would continue to rise days after the rain had stopped, he said.
‘‘This is a hurricane event followed by a flood event,’’ South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said.
With floodwaters advancing rapidly in many communities, about 50 stranded people had been airlifted out by helicopter in North Carolina, Petty Officer Michael Himes, of the US Coast Guard, said. More than 26,000 were in shelters.
Numerous roads were closed, and authorities warned of the risk of landslips, tornadoes and flash floods. Dams and bridges were in peril as rivers and creeks swelled. As of yesterday, about 676,000 homes and businesses were without power in North Carolina, along with 119,000 in South Carolina.
North Carolina officials said there had been at least seven stormrelated fatalities in the state, and unconfirmed reports of a further three deaths. South Carolina authorities reported one death.
The White House said President Donald Trump had declared a state of emergency, which made federal funding available in affected counties.
Trump, who plans a visit to the region this week, tweeted his ‘‘deepest sympathies and warmth’’ to the families and friends of those who had died.
Yesterday, the NHC said Florence had maximum sustained winds of 65kmh and was slowly drifting westward over South Carolina. The storm would dump as much as 102cm of rain along coastal areas of the Carolinas, as well as up to 26cm in southwest Virginia.
In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people about 145km inland, authorities told thousands of residents near two rivers to leave their homes yesterday because of the flood risk.
‘‘If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible,’’ Mayor Mitch Colvin said.
‘‘The worst is yet to come.’’ Florence has already set a North Carolina record for rainfall totals, exceeding that of Hurricane Floyd, which struck in 1999 and caused 56 deaths. Floyd produced 61cm of rain in some parts of the state, while Florence has already dumped about 76cm in areas around Swansboro.
South Carolina authorities said law enforcement officers were guarding against looting in evacuated areas.