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Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina on Friday, hitting the state with a powerful combination of wind and rain. The storm was linked to several deaths, according to officials. Some areas are experiencing intense flooding, while many more in the city of New Bern need help in the early hours of the day.
The dangerous storm, which was reduced to a tropical storm Friday afternoon, is expected to continue to hit parts of North Carolina and South Carolina over the weekend. Follow Hurricane Florence's itinerary here and read the latest forecasts here.
12:23: 773,903 are without electricity in North Carolina
At least 773,903 households were without electricity at midnight, reported the North Carolina Emergency Management Agency. Breakdowns were most concentrated in New Hanover, Brunswick, Wake, Onslow, Carteret, Pender, Robeson and Wayne Counties. The updates are available here.
Most of these counties were also subject to a curfew overnight, as part of a series of flash floods.
The National Weather Service has issued a map of road closures in the Morehead City area – not to alert residents to specific road closures, but to "emphasize how serious it is".
– Abigail Hauslohner
23:45: Flood-related emergencies increase in North Carolina as heavy rains continue
The National Weather Service has published emergency situations following flash floods – the most critical category of flood warnings – for several counties, and flash flood and tornado alerts for several others. Friday's forecast suggests that 50 centimeters of rain could fall in southeastern North Carolina until Sunday.
To provide our readers with unlimited access to the weather coverage and important safety information related to Florence, the Washington Post has temporarily removed the limit on the number of articles related to storms that can be read on our website without subscription.
– Abigail Hauslohner
9 pm: Precipitation in Florence near record levels, causing flash flood
The National Weather Service has launched a flash flood – the most critical flood category – for Carteret, Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties in North Carolina, calling it a "severe flood".
The storm's total rainfall has reached 23.04 inches at Morehead starting at 8 pm, the agency said, close to the record of 24.06 inches set by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Friday's forecast suggests that 50 centimeters of rain could fall in southeastern North Carolina until Sunday.
– Angela Fritz
20h37: The "long way": truckers face a giant detour as Florence closes highways
Professional truck drivers are adjusting their routes to avoid North Carolina and South Carolina, as both states are "frozen" as Hurricane Florence unfolds.
Nesor Lopez, trucker at Carroll Fulmer, who drives the southeast highway as a regional driver, says no one is currently driving on I-95 in South Carolina and he was taking a break at a truck stop near from the Richmond Hills exit on I-95, outside Savannah.
"We can not drive with winds above 50 mph, especially with light loads," said Lopez.
He said his long-distance colleagues were taking the "long way" to carry cargo north via Atlanta by taking I-16 to Atlanta, to the Tennessee border on I-75 and over New York and New England. He said that sailing through Atlanta was probably difficult at this stage.
Meanwhile, Lopez continues to transport goods from places such as Walmart or Home Depot in the Savannah area.
"I can see that we bring a lot of goods to Home Depot when people go home to South Carolina," he said.
Lopez is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has been driving trucks for only two years. He says he has seen his share of hurricanes but is facing his first hurricane as a truck driver in 2017 with Hurricane Irma.
– Sharon Dunten
19:30: At least five deaths in North Carolina related to Florence, according to authorities
Authorities in North Carolina had linked at least five deaths to the storm from Friday night, including a mother and an infant killed when a tree fell on their house.
The mother and child were killed in Wilmington when the tree fell, police said. A third person was also injured – the father, who was taken to the hospital, according to the police.
Pender County authorities said that a woman died Friday morning while she was suffering a heart attack and that emergency teams were unable to reach her in time because of fallen trees. and debris on the road. Crews trying to join her tried to move debris with a front loader, but a tree went through the windshield of the equipment, causing further delays, officials said.
"This happened this morning at the height of our storm," said Tammy Proctor, a spokesperson, during a phone interview. "The strong winds, we have debris of trees … when the people of our SME can not arrive at something, it disturbs them".
[What Hurricane Florence looks and sounds like as it makes landfall]
In Lenoir County, local authorities reported two deaths, both in Kinston, a town south-east of Raleigh. A 78-year-old man was electrocuted Friday morning while he was trying to connect two extensions in the rain, according to Roger Dail, director of the Lenoir County Emergency Department; family members found his body. A 77-year-old man was also found by relatives on Friday morning. Officials believe he was killed after being hit by the wind when he went out to watch his hunting dogs, Dail said.
"Our hearts go out to the families of those who died in this storm," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) said in a statement. "Hurricane Florence will continue for several days in our state. Be extremely careful and stay alert.
– Mark Berman
19:14: Rescue operation underway in New Bern, N.C.
6:40 pm: Evacuee died Thursday morning at the Shallotte Refuge, N.C.
An evacuee from West Brunswick High School in Shallotte, NC, died Thursday morning. Amanda Hutcheson, spokesperson for Brunswick County, said that an investigation was underway but added that the death was not related to the storm and that other people at the shelter had no reason to worry.
"We are saddened by the sudden death of one of our members," Hutcheson wrote in an email. "And our hearts go out to family and friends who are now in mourning for an already stressful time."
– Sarah Kaplan
5:45 pm: The first 686,000 in North Carolina are out of order
North Carolina authorities said Friday afternoon that the number of outages had surpassed 686,000, a number that rose steadily during the day as the state was hit by wind and rain.
State officials have also warned people to expect that the number of flooded roads will also increase, urging them not to try to cross the water or around the barricades. Since midnight, the North Carolina Highway Patrol has responded to 80 collisions and twice as many service calls, according to authorities.
– Mark Berman
5:06 pm Florence decommissioned in a tropical storm; water still represents a serious threat
The National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin that Florence had been downgraded to a tropical storm and that the maximum sustained winds had reached nearly 70 mph. The Florence winds are expected to continue weakening tonight, then significantly this weekend.
The storm still poses an extreme risk to Carolinans, with warnings of "storm surges" and "catastrophic" floods in both states, the hurricane center said. Forecasts show rainfall of up to 40 inches in some areas, with more than 16 inches of rain already reported in parts of North Carolina.
– Mark Berman
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