Hurricane Florence Drenches North and South Carolina
The monster ‘Hurricane Florence’ made landfall North Carolina, resulting in the death of 18 people in the state.
Hurricane Florence battered the states with combination of powerful winds and torrential rains. Intense flooding was cited in some areas and rescue operations are underway in the early hours of Saturday morning, particularly in the city of New Bern.
Florence, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday afternoon, is expected to keep lashing parts of North and South Carolina into the weekend.
Intense Flooding Days Ahead
After Hurricane Florence made its deadly landfall in North Carolina, flooding was inevitable amid relentless rain.
According to media reports, hundreds of water rescues were taking place Saturday night and authorities were urging people to say home. Flooding is also expected in the following days.
“The flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it … made landfall 24 hours ago,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday morning. “We face walls of water at our coasts, along our rivers, across our farmland, in our cities and in our towns.”
Serious flooding is expected throughout the two states, and some rivers may not crest for another three to five days.
“Life-threatening, catastrophic flash floods and prolonged significant river flooding are likely over portions of the Carolinas and the southern to central Appalachians from western North Carolina into west-central Virginia and far eastern West Virginia through early next week, as Florence moves slowly inland,” the hurricane center said.
Authorities also warned residents of the risks of landslides across western North Carolina and southwest Virginia.
Florence battered North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane. The monster storm has left a trail of destruction. In fact, aside from human casualties, it has also wiped out power to about 796,000 customers in that state and South Carolina.
The Victims
Hurricane Florence has led to the death of at least 18 people, including a mother and a baby. A tree fell on their house in Wilmington, North Carolina, police said. The father was hospitalized with injuries.
In Hampstead, North Carolina, emergency staff responded to a call for cardiac arrest. However, they were too late when they arrived as the woman was already dead when they reached her home.
In Lenoir County, North Carolina, two men died. One was electrocuted while trying to connect two extension cords and the other died while checking on his dogs outside.
Still in North Carolina, three people died Saturday due to flash flooding and “swift water on roadways.”
A storm-related fire killed two people in Cumberland County.
In South Carolina’s Union County, a 61-year-old woman was killed Friday night when the car she was driving struck a downed tree.
A man and woman died in Horry County due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
