Matthew’s punch still delivers pain to North Carolina

The Category 2 hurricane will near North Carolina’s southern coast by Saturday night, the center says. “Do not plan to go home”, Haley said, asserting that driving conditions weren’t safe. Florida reported six storm-related deaths. “(We’re) hearing 50 to 60 people are refusing the evacuation order.

“I’ve never seen shells like this before”, said Michael Enright as he watched his wife Gami and his 10-year-old daughter Talula pick up shells. The unofficial rainfall totals were staggering: 18in in Wilmington, 14in in Fayetteville and 8in in Raleigh.

Matthew killed at least three people in North Carolina, four in Florida and three in Georgia, authorities said.

The governor reiterated the sentiment that just because the storm has passed, doesn’t mean the destruction is over.

McCrory warned that the storm is still a threat because massive rains aren’t expected to peak in rivers for another day or two.

“These rescue teams, I’ve got to let you know, they are extremely exhausted at this time”, McCrory said. More than 500 were killed by the storm in Haiti.

As of Sunday morning there are 43 local states of emergency and 40 emergency operations centers open throughout the state.

Matthew, now a post-tropical cyclone, was to begin its slow exit overnight Sunday off the East Coast, but the danger isn’t over.

“This expedited declaration will help provide much needed and immediate federal assistance to communities impacted by Hurricane Matthew” McCrory said. Rescuers in Coast Guard helicopters plucked some of them from rooftops and used military vehicles to reach others. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey says the North Charleston has not experienced any unusual spikes in crime, and the same was said of Charleston. The river is projected to set a flood record of 28.4 feet (8.7 meters), about 10 feet (3 meters) higher than normal at nearby Rocky Mount later on Sunday, Assistant Fire Chief Ronnie Raper said.

An update on power outages puts around $282,000 homes without power in the state. Robeson County, which includes Lumberton, had North Carolina’s highest violent crime rate in 2014.

Beyond the panic they could experience, after a storm hits and does minimal damage, the words from officials and reporters could lose their credibility. The storm disrupted the lives of millions, forcing more than three million coastal residents to evacuate, shutting down hundreds of roads including Interstate 95 in several places – a major east coast artery – while halting Amtrak service in the southeast and causing thousands of flights to be cancelled.

Donna Barnett, who lives in Hatteras village, said the water was a foot from coming in her house. He was hoping to start serving customers in a few hours.

Matthew dumped almost 17 inches of rain in some areas of the state. 76 shelters remain open in SC that still held over 4,000 residents Sunday.

This was nothing like Hurricane Hermine, which struck the Big Bend area just last month and the damage was nowhere near the level Hurricane Matthew brought despite never officially making landfall.

“Safety remains our top priority as we work to address the damage caused by major flooding on roadways”, said Nick Tennyson, N.C.’s transportation secretary.

Various roads were still impassable, there was a curfew on Savannah for a second night running and residents became increasingly frustrated that they were prevented from returning to homes.

“People (in Lumberton) awoke to water”, Gov.

While the state is expecting re-entry, the governor had one request: “patience, patience, patience”. State officials are warning the public to stay out of Fayetteville’s downtown area, due to evacuation and rescue efforts.

While Florida, Georgia and SC are beginning to recover, North Carolina isn’t out of the woods yet as officials now brace for rivers top their banks during the next several days, leading to further destruction. While the storm never made landfall, AP reported four fatalities in Florida.

By Friday morning, the storm was just 20 miles off the coast of Florida.

County Commission Chairman Marshal Faircloth says the county is in a “dire situation” after flooding from the storm that resulted in more than 225 water rescue missions that saved 574 people Saturday and Sunday morning.

Stay with WCNC.com for the latest on Matthew.