Storm Florence weakens but worst is still to come

Storm Florence weakened on Sunday as it swept through the Carolinas but dozens of communities are devastated and “epic” amounts of rain could still fall, officials said.

The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression at about 5am on Sunday, as it trudged inland, knocking out power and causing at least eight deaths as flood waters kept rising. North Carolina officials have reported at least seven storm-related fatalities, with unconfirmed reports of a further three deaths. South Carolina authorities reported one death.

“This is still a catastrophic, life-threatening storm,” said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center’s Weather Prediction Center.

“It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas, with more to come. And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding, some not cresting for a few days,” he said.

Winds have dropped to about 55km/h since Florence roared ashore on Friday as a hurricane and it crawled west over two states at 9km/h, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early on Sunday.

“This storm is still deadly and dangerous and it’s expected to turn northward later today into Virginia and the mid-Atlantic,” Taylor said.

Around 50 stranded people were airlifted by helicopter in North Carolina, said a US Coast Guard representative.

More than 26,000 hunkered down in shelters.

Roads were closed and authorities warned of landslides, tornadoes and flash floods, with dams and bridges in peril as rivers and creeks swelled. As of Saturday, about 676,000 homes and businesses were without power in North Carolina, along with 119,000 in South Carolina.

The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some counties. Trump, who plans to visit the region this week tweeted his “deepest sympathies and warmth” to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives.

Florence was drifting westward over South Carolina at 5am on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Up to 102cm of rain is expected along coastal areas of the Carolinas and up to 25cm in southwestern Virginia, it said.

“If you refuse to leave during this mandatory evacuation … the loss of life is very, very possible,” Mitch Colvin, the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, said at a news conference.

“The worst is yet to come,” authorities said.