Devastation in the South
FLORENCE CRIPPLES CAROLINAS
At least 12 people were confirmed dead and an estimated 900,000 were without power as Florence, now a tropical storm, lingered over the Carolinas and continued to dump torrential rain across the southeast coast.
Several areas have already been smacked with more than 2 feet of rain since Florence made landfall as a CateCenter gory 1 hurricane Friday morning. It inundated river and coastal cities with severe flooding even as its wind speeds weakened later in the afternoon.
By Saturday evening, Florence’s rainfall had shown no signs of slowing down. Parts of North and South Carolina were forecast to receive an additional 10 to 15 inches in rain, with storm totals peaking around 30 to 40 inches.
The National Hurricane warned Florence will continue to slam the coast with “catastrophic flooding and prolonged significant river flooding.”
“If you are safe, stay put. We know people are anxious to get back home. But don’t go back until this storm passes and you get the official clear,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.
“Remember, most of the storm deaths occur from drowning in fresh water,
often in cars. Don’t drive across standing or moving water.
By 5 p.m., Florence was located about 60 miles outside of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and was moving west at just 2 mph. Though the center is continuing to crawl inland over South Carolina, its main rain bands remain over the already drenched North Carolina.
First responders and volunteer rescuers plucked hundreds of residents trapped in the city of New Bern, where water levels climbed to 10 feet overnight. Another 150 people were still awaiting rescue in the river city Saturday morning.
Twelve people have so far been reported dead in the storm, including a mother and a baby killed when a tree crashed into their home in Wilmington, N.C. Firefighters worked to free the trapped residents, but eventually fell to their knees in prayer when they realized there was little to be done.
The husband was transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.
A 77-year-old man in Lenoir County was reportedly knocked down by the wind and died after going outside to check on his hunting dogs. His body was discovered by family members outside his home. Another man in Lenoir County was electrocuted while trying to connect extension cords in the rain, according to Cooper’s office.
Carteret County Director of Emergency Services Stephen Rea confirmed another two people died in Hakers Island N.C., ABC News reported. The victims did not drown, he said, declining to provide additional details.
p duce tropical-storm-force wind of up to 50 mph Saturday, though gradual weakening is forecast as it moves farther inland over the next several days.
As many as 1.7 million people were urged to evacuate from coastal areas in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, though scores have stayed behind despite repeated warnings. As of early Saturday, nearly 800,000 people in North Carolina and more than 100,000 in South Carolina were without power.