An agricultural city in North Carolina threatened by the tropical depression The incessant rain of Florence

BURGAW, NC – More than a day after Florence's eye passed through southeastern North Carolina, a slower and potentially more destructive threat emerged: torrential rain and storm surge that drove rivers on small towns.

In the farming town of Burgaw, about 26 miles north of Wilmington, the swollen river to the northeast of Cape Fear and various streams connected with it spilled into the streets and crept into the houses. Authorities began rescuing the fast boats before dawn and the activity resumed as the water continued to rise.

Many national highways leading out of the city also disappeared underwater.

Operations have been made more perilous by fallen trees and power lines; officials did not expect power to be restored for weeks. There were approximately 658,000 power outages in North Carolina at 23:15. AND, according to the State Department of Public Security.

On Sunday, Florence was downgraded to a tropical depression, but the National Hurricane Center said "sudden floods and major floods will continue on a significant part of the Carolinas".

At least 11 people were killed after Hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina on Friday and as a result of the storm in that state. At least three people died in South Carolina and officials m said the deaths were related to the storm.

The rescued families were delivered to shelters, where about 20,000 people across the state were sheltered on Saturday.

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Here are the latest news on the tropical depression in Florence:

• Three people were killed in Duplin County, North Carolina, in separate incidents after their vehicles were washed away in high water, according to Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace. Two people died in Horry County, South Carolina, following carbon monoxide poisoning in the storm, officials said.
• The total deaths of the storm in North Carolina and South Carolina were at least 11 hours on Sunday at 12:00 pm ET.
• There were approximately 658,000 power outages in North Carolina at 23:15. AND, according to the Public Security Department of North Carolina.
• A little over 14 inches of rain fell on Wilmington, North Carolina at 18 hours. Saturday, according to preliminary reports of the National Meteorological Service.
• At 5 am on Sunday, the center of the depression was south-west of Columbia, South Carolina, and was moving westward at about 8 mph.
• The US Coast Guard and others saved 20 to 30 people in River Hills, a subdivision near Jacksonville, North Carolina.

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Mayor of Burgaw, Pete Cowan, warned that the local hospital was not accessible; he had already been evacuated. "We ask people, please, stay in the street unless it's an absolute emergency," he said. Cowan said that from 9 pm there had been 20 rescues of water.

Cowan said he feared that the floods would destroy many of the crops that feed the local agricultural economy.

Steve Goldstein, the liaison officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at FEMA headquarters, said Saturday that the storm "would produce catastrophic floods for a while," adding that many rivers would continue to experience catastrophic floods of 3 to 5 feet. Storm surges were still possible along the coast. More inland areas across southwestern Virginia could see up to 15 inches of rain.

In the middle of Saturday afternoon, twenty or so rescue operations took place in communities near the Cape Fear River in the northeast and one of its tributaries, the Black River, said Tammy Proctor, spokesman for Pender County.

Some parts of Burgaw are generally flooded with heavy rains, and officials went to these areas before Florence arrived to tell residents to evacuate. White-water rescuers on Saturday morning were mostly people who did not consider these orders, said Burgaw Fire Chief Nick Smith.

Many people may have mistakenly thought they were clear after Florence's worst winds, said Smith, but the back of the storm is longer than expected.

"Usually we cleaned the roads and we were already done," Smith said. "But we are still in the game."

On Saturday morning Governor Roy Cooper echoed Smith's claim that residents were facing "water walls" along the coast and rivers.

"Know that water rises quickly everywhere, even in places that are not usually flooded," Cooper said. "This system is unloading epic amounts of rain, and many people who think the storm has failed have not yet seen it."

Tom Watson watched the floods head for his home south of Burgaw, where he went out with his wife and adult daughter, who fled Wilmington to be with them on the approach to Florence. During two hours Saturday morning, the water had increased by 4 inches, he added.

"If it goes higher, I'll blow up the boat and leave somewhere," said Watson, 62, a retired building inspector. "But for the moment, let's wait and see if the water gets to this point."

Under a carport on Highway 117 South in Burgaw, Kevin Everett's family cooked pancakes and bacon on a barbecue. They had no electricity or running water and were trying to make the most of things.

During the most severe storms, floodwater filled the roadside drainage ditch and then receded. But on Saturday morning, the water continued to arrive, swallowing Everett's front yard and threatening his 1978 Ford F100 custom pickup.

Everett, 43, had no plans to evacuate, but he had seven members of his family, including a young grandson.

"I will worry if the water starts to approach my truck. Then maybe I'll take my family to the nearest shelter, "he said.

But for now, "we will try to do it as long as possible," he said.

William Woodburn and his family were standing on their porch, barefoot, watching the rain. Florence had torn off a piece of their roof and the water was now flowing and coming near the yard.

"Sometimes it's a bit hairy," said Woodburn, 45.

Woodburn had not yet considered running away.

"I do not even know if we can get out of Pender County now," Woodburn said. "If we do, we are just trying to get to higher ground, even if we have to stay in a van."

When asked if he became nervous, he said, "I'm not worried because there's a moment when fear has to face the God I know and his size."

In other parts of the state, those who decided to stay and weather the storm had to be rescued as the storm stabilized.

On Saturday morning, some 20 people were rescued by military officials near the Lejeune military base camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and then delivered to the Piney Green Volunteer Fire Department before being transferred to the county shelters. Onslow.

Roger Cozine, 62, who lives in Jacksonville, tried to stay home for as long as possible, but said the rising flooding forced him to flee to a family home.

"I came out of the storm as much as possible," said Cozine. "I woke up at 6 am, and water was coming into the house."

Cozine packed her bags and went into the street with a parent, but said that if the water kept rising at the current rate, they would have to evacuate.

"These are terrible times and now all I can do is pray not only for myself but for everyone around me," he said.

Jon Schuppe has reported from Burgaw, North Carolina. Kalhan Rosenblatt reported from New York.