At least 4 dead as Florence brings ‘1000-year’ rain to Carolinas

The father was transported to a hospital.

Four shelters were now open, Roberts said, adding that dispatchers received a call for 17 people stranded all on one street. A 78-year-old man was electrocuted while trying to connect extension cords in the rain while another man died when he was knocked down by high winds while checking on his dogs.

About 10 million people could be affected by the storm and more than one million were ordered to evacuate the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia, jamming westbound roads and highways for miles. “Those citizens that did not heed the evacuation warnings, it’s time to stay where you are and do the best you can” to protect yourself and your family.

The hurricane centre also said the threat of tornadoes was increasing as the storm neared the shore.

Emergency officials warned residents that the peril had probably not passed, as the storm continued to dump torrential rain.

“We know people are anxious to go back”.

North Carolina alone is forecast to get 9.6 trillion gallons, enough to cover the Tar Heel state to a depth of about 10 inches (25 centimeters).

At least three people have died so far due to the effects of Hurricane Florence in southeast North Carolina, less than 8 hours from its landfall.

More than 760,000 customers in North Carolina were without power and 21,000 people were being housed in 157 shelters across the state.

One resident, 67-year-old Linda Smith, told the MailOnline: “We’re a little anxious about the storm surge so we came down to see what the river is doing now”.

In North Carolina, the storm has left more than 300,000 homes and businesses near the coast without power, according to Duke Energy. She was trapped in her truck surrounded by rising water Friday as her boyfriend and his cousin were stranded on a paddle boat less than a mile away.

“Seeing them get out of the auto and seeing their emotions was heartbreaking”, he said.

“I am frightened about what’s coming”. He said it was a testament to the close calls around the city.

The Cape Fear River has overrun its banks, allowing water to pour into the downtown area of Wilmington.

Zaytoun now regrets his decision, he said.

“This storm is relentless and excruciating”, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper told CNN late on Friday.

“WPD can confirm the first two fatalities of Hurricane #Florence in Wilmington”, the force tweeted on Friday afternoon.

“If you seek to prey upon the citizens of Brunswick County, we’re going to do everything we can to lock you up”, Ingram warned.

Up to 40 inches of rain could fall across the Carolinas over the weekend, rivaling the rainfall totals of hurricanes Dennis and Floyd in 1999.

Farther up the coast, in New Bern, about 150 people waited to be rescued from flooding on the Neuse River, WXII-TV reported.

An abandoned car’s hazard lights continue to flash as it sits submerged in rising flood waters on Saturday morning after Florence struck Wilmington, N.C.

The storm is likely to bring significant rain to the Carolinas, where some places could see upwards of 20 inches, the update said. “If not we’d be stuck upstairs for the next. how long?”