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Despite Sunday weakened by a tropical storm, its unrelenting rains have flooded areas already saturated, authorities have warned that the danger is far from over.
"The flood danger of this storm is more immediate today than when it touched down 24 hours ago," said Saturday North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. "We are facing the water walls of our shores, our rivers, our farmland, our cities and our cities."
He has trapped people in flooded homes, fast rescue teams from foreign countries have joined local emergency professionals to try to get them to safety.
Main developments
• the location of Florence: Early Sunday, the center of Florence was 20 miles southwest of Columbia, South Carolina, with maximum winds of 35 mph. It was moving westward at 8 mph, the National Meteorological Service said.
• Arrests of lootingWilmington police have reportedly arrested five people who allegedly looted a Dollar General store. Another person was arrested for allegedly looting an Exxon gas station and grocery store.
• No electricity: About 760,000 customers are without power in North Carolina, emergency officials said. In South Carolina, some 36,000 customers are without electricity, officials said.
• Record rainfall: Florence dumped more than 30 inches of rain in Swansboro, North Carolina, beating the rainfall record of a tropical system in the state. The previous record of 24.06 inches was set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
13 people killed, including one child
Florence has killed at least 13 people, including a mother and child who died after a tree fell on their home in Wilmington, North Carolina, police said.
In Hampstead, North Carolina, rescuers on a call for cardiac arrest found their way blocked by fallen trees. When they arrived home, the woman was dead, according to the authorities.
Two men were also killed in Lenoir County, North Carolina. One of them was killed while he was watching his dogs on the outside while another was electrocuted while trying to connect two extensions, officials said. l & # 39; emergency.
The floods killed three people in Duplin County, North Carolina, said the sheriff's office. In addition, Cumberland County officials determined that a fire that killed two people was related to the storm.
In South Carolina's Union County, a 61-year-old woman was killed when the car she was driving crashed into a fallen tree, said spokesman of the US Department of Homecare. urgency, Antonio Diggs. A man and a woman died in Horry County due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to officials in South Carolina.
Floods and landslides
"In addition to the threat of flash floods and floods, landslides are also possible in the southern and central Appalachian highlands, traversing western North Carolina to the south-west. from Virginia ".
River rising rapidly
In Lumberton, residents were cautious about the rapid rise of the river in the city of North Carolina, which was submerged for several days after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Lumber River was climbing faster than expected. He climbed 5 feet during the night and was at 17.6 feet, more than 4 feet above flood level, Saturday night. It was expected to reach 24 feet by Sunday afternoon.
Corey Walters, deputy director of public works for the city, said it was the worst case of storm.
There is flooding "everywhere in the city," he said. "There were" hundreds of rescues ".
According to official forecasts, when the water reaches 26 feet, the gates will be submerged.
The city has installed 11 pumps to handle the river, but Mayor John Cantey said he wanted people living nearby to get out.
There is a mandatory evacuation order for the area, officials said.
In Cumberland County, which includes Fayetteville, the authorities ordered people within one mile of the Cape Fear River to vacate their vehicles by 3:00 pm Sunday.
States of emergency
Authorities have declared state of emergency in several states, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will cross northern South Carolina, then turn north toward the Ohio Valley.
Jamiel Lynch from CNN contributed to this report.
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