South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Florence floods rise; so does death toll
Rescue urgency for the trapped increases as water flows inland
NEW BERN, N.C. — The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavyduty vehicles Saturday to rescue scores of people trapped by Florence’s shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: catastrophic flooding inland.
The death toll from the storm climbed to 11.
A day after blowing ashore with 90 mph winds, Florence parked itself over land and poured on the rain. With rivers rising toward record levels, thousands of people were ordered evacuated for fear the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history.
More than 2 feet of rain had fallen in places, and the drenching went on and on, with forecasters saying there could be an additional 1 1⁄2 feet by the end of the weekend.
“I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren’t watching for them you are risking your life,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.
Florence was centered about 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach, S.C., inching west at 2 mph — not even as fast as a person walking. Its winds were down to 45 mph. With half of the storm still out over the Atlantic, Florence continued to collect warm ocean water and dump it on land.
In its initial onslaught along the coast, Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses. But the storm was shaping up as a two-part disaster, with the second, delayed stage triggered by rainwater working its way into rivers and streams.
The flash flooding could devastate communities and endanger dams, roads and bridge.
Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles in from the coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000.
Officials in nearby Harnett County urged residents of about 1,100 homes to clear out because the Lower Little River was rising toward record levels.
One potential road out was blocked as flooding forced the shutdown of a
16-mile stretch of Interstate
95, the main highway along the Eastern Seaboard.
In New Bern, along the coast, homes were surrounded by water, and rescuers used inflatable boats to reach people. More than
360 people had been carried to safety since Thursday night.
Kevin Knox and his family were rescued from their flooded brick home with the help of Army Sgt. Johan Mackie, part of a team that was using a phone app to locate people in distress. Mackie rode in a boat through a flooded neighborhood, navigating through trees and past a fence post to get to the Knox house.
“Amazing. They did awesome,” said Knox, who was stranded with seven others, including a boy who was carried out in a life vest. “If not we’d be stuck upstairs for the next how long? I have no idea.”
Coast Guard helicopters were taking off across the street to rescue stranded people from rooftops and swamped cars. Coast Guard
members said that choppers had made dozens of rescues in and around New Bern and Jacksonville.
Also, Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported.
The dead included a mother and baby killed when a tree fell on a house in Wilmington, N.C.. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm, with officials saying a 61-year-old woman was killed when her car hit a tree that had fallen across a highway. Three died in one inland county, Duplin, because of water on roads and flash floods, the sheriff ’s office said.
Retired Marine Garland King and his wife, Katherine, left their home Friday in New Bern and returned Saturday, sharing a kiss and joining hands as they drew near their house.
“It was tough. Wobbling. I was looking for water moccasins to hit me at any time,” he said.
They finally made it, and found a soggy, stinking mess.
“The carpets. The floors. Everything is soaking wet,” Katherine King said. “We’re going to have to redo the whole inside.”
The National Hurricane Center said Florence broke a North Carolina rainfall record that had stood for almost 20 years: Preliminary reports showed Swansboro got over 30 inches and counting, obliterating the mark set in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd dropped just over 24 inches on the state.