CRAWLING

As the giant, 645-kilometrewide hurricane pounded away, it unloaded heavy rain, flattened trees, chewed up roads and knocked out power to more than 800,000 homes and businesses. By early afternoon, Florence’s winds had weakened to 120 km/h, just barely a hurricane, but the storm itself had slowed to a crawl. “Hurricane Florence is powerful, slow and relentless,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. “It’s an uninvited brute who doesn’t want to leave.” Cooper said the hurricane was “wreaking havoc” on the coast and could wipe out entire communities as it makes its “violent grind across our state for days.”