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On Wednesday, thousands of evacuees were invited to stay away from their homes, rivers continued to rise and the threat of flooding remained high in North Carolina and South Carolina. Many roads remained closed, and thousands of people lack power.
"Our state has taken a punch and our state continues to struggle," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in Trump, calling the storm "epic, disaster and spread" .
"We have a long way to go in days, months and even years to come to make sure we rebuild."
Trump said, "We are ready to do everything we need to do to make it perfect, we will take care of everyone."
Also across the ravaged area:
• Some 2,600 men and women of the National Guard are deployed in the state.
• About 800 power outages occurred in South Carolina.
• North Carolina farms have lost about 3.4 million poultry and 5,500 pigs, officials said.
• Cotton producers in South Carolina have also been hit hard. Soaked soil could damage peanuts crops, and hemp stalks would have been destroyed, the state said.
Much work remains to be done in recovery efforts, officials said.
Brock Long, a director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Cherry Point that teams must work to reopen roads, re-energize, contain hazardous materials and restore medical services .
Rivers in crest, some twice
The Cape Fear River in North Carolina is expected to peak at about 62 feet on Wednesday, putting thousands at risk.
Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram said in a Facebook video that officers were going door-to-door in the flood areas of the Waccamaw River to encourage residents to evacuate and prepare as needed.
Many were out enjoying the weather on Wednesday, he said. But already the water is 3 feet higher than ever and it goes up.
"We want to make sure everyone has enough time to evacuate if these waters continue to rise and reach the expected levels," he said.
Flood waters rose and then declined in Conway, South Carolina, but a second ridge is expected.
Greenville News reporter Gabe Cavallaro tweeted photos of a flooded street that had since returned to normal.
"Recognize this place?" he tweeted. "A few days before this #ConwaySC area is completely submerged – now the waters of #Florence have receded and the road is open again, but city officials warn that it will not last long."
City spokesman Taylor Newell said the waters could be "4 feet higher" than when Hurricane Matthew struck in 2016.
"We warn everyone not to be too confident," said Adam Emrick, city administrator. "The water will come back, we are worried about Friday."
Some return home to devastation
They passed a car buried in the waters and called to see if anyone was in it. When no one answered, they turned their attention to their white house with black shutters – partially submerged in the water in front of them.
At least 13 water courses are in major flood
Florence was slowly moving north-east, where tornadoes associated with the storm hit Virginia. But even as he moved away, at least 13 river gauges are in major flooding phase, said the governor of North Carolina.
Many of these waterways rise or fall in the Carolinas, though some are receding. Swollen rivers gush downstream to flooded cities, putting more homes at risk.
"I know for a lot of people it sounds like a nightmare that will not end," Cooper said.
Governor to the evacuees: Do not go home
Cooper warned locals that the rain may have gone, but the danger of flooding is far from over. He asked the evacuees to stay where they are and not to go home for the time being.
"For the more than 10,000 people staying in our shelters and the countless people who stay with friends and families or in hotels, I know it was hard to leave home and it is even harder to get away from home. wait, "said Cooper. "Please … do not try to go home yet."
Evacuees from Pender and Brunswick counties should not be returning home because of the floods, he said.
More than 1,000 roads were closed in North Carolina on Tuesday, officials said, and about 343,000 people were still without electricity.
Swollen rivers mean the danger remains
Fayetteville City Manager Doug Hewett is concerned that with the rain that has passed, residents may become complacent and try to return home, which could be dangerous.
"We have 12,000 residents who could be in danger if the river continues to rise," he said.
Hewett said the Cape Fear River could reach its highest historic level – about 62 feet – by Wednesday.
"We have had significant rainfall … and we still expect some tributaries to flow into the upper part of Cape Fear, and if that happens, it will continue to increase until it reaches its peak." tip, "he added.
Wilmington was the epicenter of the destruction of Florence. Precipitation totaling 26.58 inches overwhelmed much of the city, cutting it off from the rest of the state. It will have its wettest year in 140 years of record keeping. More than 86 inches of rain have fallen so far. On average, the city reaches about 43 inches at this time of year.
But it is impossible to say what is the current depth of the Lumber River, because the official gauge of the river stopped working a few days ago. Walters felt that the current depth is about 25 feet.
Nick Valencia, Holly Yan and Carma Hassan from CNN contributed to this report.
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