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Florence continues to cross the Carolinas, causing a widespread emergency throughout North Carolina, from the ocean to the east to the west. Flood waters are expected to push many rivers to unprecedented levels and could result in potentially lethal landslides as the remnants of the storm move westward.
The storm was linked to several deaths, according to the authorities. Follow the predicted course of the storm and read here the latest forecasts.
Main updates: The death toll rises to 17 years | Flash floods in Mecklenburg County
1:01 PM: "Things are not going well" – North Carolina County orders mandatory evacuation in anticipation of dam failure
Officials in Hoke County, BC, announced Sunday night a mandatory evacuation of people living near McLaughlin Lake, fearing that the dam will be broken as heavy rains continue to fall on the area. Hoke County is located about 25 miles west of Fayetteville, N.C.
"It is badly damaged and we are preparing for the worst," Scott Locklear, of the Hoke County Emergency Management Office, told the Washington Post. "It's not going well," said Locklear, adding that the water had already cleared the dam.
According to the county's announcement, coastguards and Fort Bragg units are on the scene to attend evacuations.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh, North Carolina, also published an update at 11:30 pm Sunday on the status of six rivers in North Carolina. Authorities have indicated that two of these rivers, Little River and Rocky River, are in "major flooding," meaning there is "a significant flood of structures and roads" in some areas along the waterways.
– Allyson Chiu
23:59: As heavy rain continues, multiple flash flood and tornado warnings are issued
The storm is expected to continue producing "widespread heavy rains over much of North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina," the National Hurricane Center said at 11 pm on Sunday. Two to five inches more rain is expected to fall on parts of the Carolinas, central Atlantic states, and southern New England. Some areas can receive up to eight inches.
The center reported that on Sunday night, Florence dumped a total of 40 inches of rain in South Carolina and 20 inches in North Carolina. Due to continuing rains, authorities warn that "flash floods and catastrophic / historic floods" are still a concern for "large parts of the Carolinas". Warnings also extend to coastal central states and landslide risk in affected areas.
Throughout Sunday night, several flash flood alerts were issued in North Carolina and Southwest Virginia, the National Weather Service. tweeted. Many of these warnings are in place until Monday morning.
Tornado warnings have also been issued for several cities in North Carolina. Parts of North Carolina and South Carolina were also subjected to tornado monitoring until Monday at 5 o'clock.
According to the National Hurricane Center, there are still some tornadoes in the area.
The storm moves north at 10 mph with sustained maximum winds of 30 mph.
– Allyson Chiu
19:27: The number of victims of the storm reaches 17
Officials from Gaston County, North Carolina, said that a three-month-old child had been killed Sunday when a tree fell through the family's individual caravan. The infant and mother were taken to a hospital where the baby died, said Major Jamie McConnell with Gaston County EMS.
At least 11 people died as a result of the storm in North Carolina and six in South Carolina.
– Katie Zezima
18h42: At least 16 people died in the storm
At least 16 deaths are now attributed to the storm. A woman from Lexington County, South Carolina, lost control of her car, struck a tree and was ejected from the vehicle, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. At least six people are now dead in South Carolina. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said at least 10 people died in that state.
– Katie Zezima
6:10 pm: "Looks like we have a new lake in Charlotte"
The National Meteorological Service has declared an emergency situation due to a flash flood in certain areas of Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, as water courses and streams were unusually high, reaching record levels in certain places. Tim Habershaw and his roommate, Zachary Finley, walked in their Carolina Panthers jersey on Central Avenue in Charlote to see Briar Creek, a normally calm stream that had turned into a torrent.
"I was coming back from work early and I thought, 'Whoa, we have a new lake in Charlotte,'" said Habershaw, 51, a restaurant waiter three miles from Finley. 25 years old, cook at the chain. "I went home and took a nap, and when I woke up, I said [Finley]"We have to go see that."
About 3000 miles of creeks, the vast majority, little more than unnamed brooks, crisscross Mecklenburg County in a vast lace that flows into larger rivers and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean. Charlotte's topography tends to channel floodwaters into low areas that generally correspond to stream beds. Habershaw lived in Charlotte for 30 years and said that he had never seen Briar Creek as high as Sunday afternoon. "It's a bit scary," he said, "but beautiful."
The heaviest rains fell in southeastern Mecklenburg County. Some places received 10 inches of rain this weekend.
– Greg Lacour
17:30: Hundreds of dialysis patients have been saved from their homes
Late Sunday afternoon, Tom Cotter, team leader of the Americares rescue group in North Carolina, was waiting in the parking lot of a shelter in Wilson, North Carolina, the arrival of 105 patients dialysed by bus after having been rescued. their homes flooded in Jacksonville, NC, 90 miles south. Many of them had been rescued by boats from their homes and some had not received treatment for at least five days.
Cotter had introduced health screening devices, essential drugs, adult diapers, cleaning products and so on. A dialysis center located on the other side of the street will provide care.
"It's really a disaster," Cotter said. "People are still coming to these shelters.
– Steven Mufson
4:27 pm: Observe the rivers in South Carolina
Renee Matthews walked up to the Lynches River at least once a day, checking to where he had climbed. Two days ago, the river surrounding his family's property in the rural county of Florence, S.C., was dry and barely above his nephew's knee. Sunday, the bank was not found. The landing of the boat that led to the bank was buried in debris, and the concrete barrier four feet to the side was almost submerged.
"It's probably two or three feet," she said, aiming at her phone to take a picture.
"You could walk there two days ago. Two days ago you could walk all around this tree, "she said, pointing to a submerged tree. And the flood of rain has barely begun.
Floods occur every few years in this riverside wooded area of mobile homes and large houses, some of which were built a few feet above the ground.
"The water goes up to the top of this house," said Matthews, showing an empty vacation home that sits at least six feet from the wet, grassy land.
There has not yet been any flood in the county that shares a name with the storm. But the authorities are monitoring the Lynches River and other inland waters as rain continues and northern rains flow downstream, said Dusty Owens, director of the management division of the United States. county emergencies.
Here in Florence County, several expanses of water – the Great Pee Dee River to the east, the Lynches River to the south and the Black Creek to the north – should all rise. Lynches River, for example, has increased more than five feet since Friday. The Great Pee Dee could climb to 27 feet on Thursday, surpassing the flood level by eight feet.
"Next week it will be our problem," said Matthews, 48. "This river will continue to rise."
– Kristine Phillips
15:47: At least 15 people died because of the storm
At least 15 people died as a result of the Tropical Depression Florence, which hit the Carolinas during a hurricane Friday.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) said five people were killed in the storm: Amber Dawn Lee from Union County; Mark Carter King and Deborah Collins Ryan, who lost their lives in a generator-related incident on Saturday; Michael D. Prince, who died this morning when he lost control of his car in Georgetown County; and Jeffrey B. Youngren, who died Sunday morning in Kershaw County after driving in a support beam.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) said 10 people in the state died because of the storm.
– Felicia Sonmez
3:17 pm: An aging dike system maintains itself, while a temporary barrier weakens
The Lumber River in Lumberton, North Carolina, rose more and more during Sunday's torrential rains, said county spokeswoman Emily Jones.
But a temporary sandbag barrier built by volunteers and National Guards in the pouring rain this week had been "compromised" by the rising waters, Jones said.
The water had crossed this section of the river that was passing by the railways on the west side of the city during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, flooding businesses and homes.
Sebastian Milton, a Cajun Navy volunteer from Covington, Louisiana, Lumberton, to help with relief efforts, said it was short time before the lift failed.
[Cajun Navy races to the Carolinas; citizen rescuers pull people from rising waters]
"It's a man-made structure," he said, "he can not continue to hold the river."
Milton and other volunteers were stationed on a bridge overlooking the Lumber River and a flooded section of Interstate 95 on Sunday afternoon.
Their boats ready, they waited in a pouring rain for the next emergency call to enter.
"There are still people out there," Milton said, gesturing toward the expanse of dark waters and trees that hid the flooded houses.
– Sarah Kaplan
2:49 pm: In Pembroke, North Carolina, we already have problems.
In Pembroke, BC, emergency officials conducted approximately 120 evacuations and 20 relief operations – complicated procedures such as removing people from submerged cars – since the storm began.
Charles Gregory Cummings, Mayor of the City, said officials were working all week to ensure the most vulnerable people in the community were safe from the storm. The police drove the homeless into local shelters and drove daily journeys through public housing complexes, using a megaphone to inform people of the coming flood. Leaflets were posted in all mobile home parks and included information on forecasts and where to look for shelter. Agents would register daily in a seniors' residence to make sure their generators were running and had enough to eat.
Driving into the city to examine the "hot spots" of the floods, police chief Ed Locklear noted that most of Pembroke's social housing is located in the northern part of the city. There, underground canals and systems that drain water into the nearby swamp are easily submerged by torrential rains. Several officials said the canals were still blocked by fallen trees and debris from Hurricane Matthew. The city did not have the means to solve the problem sooner and received only federal recovery funds.
Now, Locklear has come across a street at one of these apartment complexes; it was submerged under what looked like a muddy brown water foot. Sandbags rested against the doors of the house.
"These are places that are always flooding," Locklear said. "And you can see that we already have problems."
– Sarah Kaplan
2:34 PM: Trump oversees "preparation and response efforts"
The White House, in a statement, said President Trump was watching the storm and its effects:
"Today, President Trump continues to monitor the preparation and response efforts for Hurricane Florence. He was informed again this afternoon by Sec. Nielsen, Admiral Schultz and Administrator Long. Yesterday, he met with Mayor Brenda Bethune of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Mayor Dana Outlaw of New Bern, North Carolina. Mayor Outlaw thanked President Trump for immediately approving the emergency declaration.
Members of the North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Team are checking cars in a flooded area Sunday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, looking for residents left in a tropical depression. (David Goldman / AP)
14h31: Required evacuation in Fayetteville
Representatives from the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, said Sunday at a town council emergency meeting that the Cape Fear River is expected to collapse Tuesday at 62 feet and retreat to 20 hours. Friday. The river is already above the flood level and there continues to be flash floods and critical floods in the area, they said.
Officials have informed residents that there is a mandatory evacuation order for those living within one mile of the Cape Fear and Little Rivers. For other neighborhoods, there is a voluntary evacuation order. A curfew is in effect until further notice. Thirteen roads in the city are closed to date due to floods or floods, 50 to 60 traffic lights, and the city closely monitors the levels of nearby dams. Currently, there are fewer than 10,000 people without electricity.
Authorities also said they rejected rumors that the city's water supply will be closed later Sunday afternoon; there is no plan to close the water, they said.
An official said 160 people had been transported from a retirement home to shelters last night. The city works with EMS and others to transport people in wheelchairs and those who need help getting out of bed. Officials are also working to open more shelters for more than 7,500 people who are likely to be displaced.
– Felicia Sonmez
1:46 pm: The storm brings a series of dangers to safety and the environment
Federal authorities have described a series of dangers to the safety of people and the environment caused by Hurricane Florence during a teleconference Sunday afternoon. Among them: Flood waters are potentially contaminated and could pose a health risk.
"If you can avoid contact with floodwater, do it," said Reggie Cheatham, director of the Office of Emergency Management of the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to him, in North Carolina there are about 3,300 "pig ponds" that contain manure. It is feared that heavy rains will force them to overflow and send pork manure into the waterways.
Officials up to now are "quite convinced" that farmers have adequately prepared themselves before the storm to prevent the ponds from overflowing, Cheatham said. "But we are not out of the wood yet."
Cheatham said that at last count, there had been 28 orders of boiling water emitted by local water systems.
During that time, there was a large spill of coal ash in a duke energy plant storage pond near Wilmington, BC. Cheatham reported that 2,000 yards of ash had spilled into This ditch leads to a cooling pond that empties into the Cape Fear River, but he says there is no evidence that coal ash has reached this cooling pond.
Federal officials urge evacuees to stay where they are and do not attempt to return home.
"Do not feel compelled to go home to file a claim," said David Maurstad, General Manager of the National Flood Insurance Program.
Admiral Meredith Austin of the Coast Guard said three major ports in the Carolinas were still closed, including Cape Fear Harbor, near Wilmington. This closure is important because the Cape Fear Water Authority has issued an urgent call for fuel.
"Cape Fear is the number one priority to open a port," she said. "We are aware of the need to bring fuel into the harbor."
Jeff Byard, Associate Administrator of FEMA, presented the situation as a whole: "This event is long. We certainly have isolated communities.
– Joel Achenbach
13h: 'This storm has never been as dangerous as it is now'.
Authorities in North Carolina have reported that the waters continue to rage and residents of almost the entire state are threatened by torrential rains, rising rivers, floods and, in the mountains, landslides .
"This storm has never been as dangerous as now," Governor Roy Cooper (D) said at a news conference at noon. "Wherever you live in North Carolina, be careful in case of a sudden flood."
Cooper said many of the state's rivers, including Cape Fear, sawn timber and Neuse, are still climbing and are not expected to arrive until Sunday or Monday. The storm has dumped nearly two feet of rain in many places and some places are hit at three inches of rain per hour. Floods are worsening in parts of the state, including Pollocksville, Lumberton, Kinston and Goldsboro. The danger is increasing in the mountains of western North Carolina, where rains could lead to dangerous mudslides.
Officials urged North Carolinians to stay off the road. Many are closed; At least 171 major roads are closed throughout the state, including sections of highways 95 and 40. People are urged not to drive east of either 73/74 or US 64 South. Many secondary roads are closed due to floods.
Cooper estimated that between 750,000 and 1 million people evacuated some areas, a figure that will increase with the mandatory evacuations expected in some places as the rivers rise. About 15,000 people are staying in about 150 shelters across the state, he added. Four medical centers are open in North Carolina, serving at least 170 patients.
More than 900 people have been saved from the floods, Cooper said.
At least 700,000 people remain without electricity and people should expect to have no more electricity for days because so many roads are impassable.
"People need to understand that some areas are likely to be without electricity for a while," Cooper said.
The governor said that vehicles for food, water and the high seas were being delivered to hard-hit areas. The Coast Guard rescued at least 50 people by helicopter.
– Katie Zezima
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