Multiple deaths have been linked to Hurricane Florence, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm.
Advertisement
– Risky conditions from Hurricane Florence have already claimed three lives, including a mother and her newborn child.
USA media later said a second man in Lenoir County died after heavy winds knocked him down as he tried to check on his dogs.
The deaths include two people killed in Lenoir County, and a mother and infant killed in Wilmington, N.C., when a tree fell on a home, according to authorities. But Florence, a Category 1 when it hit, already had pounded coastal areas for hours. The storm continues to very slowly move west and inland, and will continue to impact the region through the weekend.
Flash-flood emergencies – the most critical category of flood warning – have been in effect for several counties in southeast North Carolina since Friday night.
There had been no reports of injuries or fatalities, though most of the city was without power and thousands of buildings had been damaged, she said.
New Bern mayor Dana Outlaw discusses ongoing rescue efforts. Officials in New Bern Friday morning reported storm surge as high as 10 feet.
The city has been placed under a 24-hour curfew until further notice, Roberts said, according to the Herald Sun. Atlantic Beach, located on the state´s Outer Banks barrier islands, had received 30 inches (76 cm) of rain, the US Geological Survey said.
Although the storm is passing north of Myrtle Beach, the concern now is that river water from North Carolina will flow into the area and combine with all the water that is already there. About 150 more had to wait to be rescued as conditions worsened.
Jon Wright considers himself one of the lucky residents of Wilmington, N.C. – so far. North Carolinians can compare those measurements with this flood risk map to gauge how their areas might be affected. The shelter remains safe. Rescue workers were able only to save her father.
“Hurricanes normally come in and they go inland, which sucks the power out of them as they go over the land”, he said. Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162, or text Florence to 898211.
More than 12,000 were in shelters in North Carolina.
“Hurricane Florence is powerful, slow and relentless”, Cooper said. North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA have staged supplies and equipment strategically to respond to the storm, and first responders across the state are ready.
Volunteer rescue teams from across the country joined emergency responders in rescuing families trapped by the floodwaters.
The disruption in North Carolina-the second-largest pork producing state, with almost as many hogs as human residents-meant about 135,000 fewer hogs were slaughtered than forecast earlier in the week, according to Archer Financial Services, helping to boost wholesale pork prices.
Widespread flooding has seen numerous roads close, including five miles of Interstate 40 in both directions near Warsaw.
“This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches”, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news briefing about a storm that forecasters said was 300 miles (480 km) wide.
Advertisement
Anyone wishing to donate to help the state rebuild following Florence should visit Rebuild.NC.gov or text “Florence” to 20222.
