North Carolina: Governor asks evacuees of the storm to be patient

Wilmington is still essentially an island surrounded by the waters of Hurricane Florence and people waiting for hours for basic necessities such as food, the governor of North Carolina urges thousands of evacuees to escape. Be patient and not return home.

"I know it was hard to leave home, and it's even harder to wait and wonder if you even have a home to go back to," said Governor Roy Cooper.

The death toll reached at least 37 in three states on Tuesday, with 27 deaths in North Carolina, while the remains of Florence were going in two directions: the water was heading towards the Carolina coast and storms state of New York.

Cooper warned that the floods caused by a 3-foot (1-meter) rain in Florence are far from over and will get worse in places.

"I know for a lot of people it sounds like a nightmare that just will not end," he said.

Addressing about 10,000 people who remain in shelters and "countless others" staying elsewhere, Cooper urged residents to stay for the time being, especially those in the most affected coastal counties. , including Wilmington, near Florence. A second shelter opens in Carteret County.

Roads remain dangerous, he said, and some are still closed for the first time as rivers driven by torrential rains inland flow to the Atlantic.

In South Carolina, two women died after a van was overtaken by the rising waters near the Little Pee Dee River. Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson told The Associated Press that the women, who were transported to a mental health center, drowned around 6 pm. Tuesday when a van tried to cross a causeway and was caught by the water. Their names have not been revealed. Two other people were sent to the hospital for observation.

The White House said President Donald Trump will visit North Carolina on Wednesday to see the damage. Previously, he boasted on Twitter: "Right now, everyone says we're doing a great job with Hurricane Florence – and they're 100% correct." He warned that Democrats will soon begin to criticize the government's response, and "it will be a total lie, but that's what they do, and everyone knows it!"

In Wilmington, workers started handing out supplies through a fast-food giant-like system: drivers stopped on a row of pallets, placed an order, and left without having to go out. A woman whistled every time the drivers had to move forward.

Todd Tremain needed tarpaulins to hide the places where the winds from Florence ripped shingles from his roof. Others received a case of bottled water or military ERM or field rations. An olive gray forklift was moving around huge pallets loaded with supplies.

Brandon Echavarrieta struggled to stay composed by describing life after Florence: no power for days, rotten meat in the freezer, no water or food and just one bath a week.

"It was pretty bad," said Echavarrieta, 34, his voice broken.

Nearby, about 200 people lined up to buy 40-pound (18-kilogram) ice packs as fast as a Rose Ice and Coal Co. could produce.

Large military trucks and helicopters transported supplies to the city, which were also used to pick up hundreds of desperate people in homes and other structures.

Mayor Bill Saffo said two roads were now open on Wilmington, completely cut off by the waters, but these roads could close as water swells the Cape Fear River on the west side of the city.

In Fayetteville, about 160 kilometers inland, near Fort Bragg, the Cape Fear River reached about 15 meters (50 feet) to an estimated ridge more than 7 meters above sea level. 39; flooding. On Tuesday, logs and other debris found themselves trapped under a railway bridge as brown waters pressed against the span.

The floods became so bad that the authorities closed a vehicle bridge at Fayetteville after the river began touching beams supporting the bridge's upper deck. Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said it was not clear if the bridge was threatened. "We have never had it at these levels before, so we do not really know what the impact will be," he said.

The river swallowed trees, lampposts and parking near its banks. City officials warned that rising water was threatening some neighborhoods and businesses that seemed safe, but said the worst was almost over and life was returning to downtown. Businesses reopened and homeowners removed sandbags and plywood from storefronts.

Human and animal waste mix with the swirling waters that killed about 1.7 million chickens in poultry farms. More than 5 million gallons (18 million liters) of partially treated sewage dumped into the Cape Fear River after the power cut in a treatment plant, officials said.

The governor said 16 rivers were in flood and more than 1,100 roads had been closed. Rescuers said they saved and evacuated more than 2,200 people and about 575 animals, he said.

On a bright spot, the Lumber River seemed to fall to Lumberton, about 70 miles (110 km) inland. Power outages in the Southeast have also declined from a high of over 910,000 to around 245,000, almost all in North Carolina.

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Wagoner reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. AP photographer Gerry Broome in Lumberton, North Carolina; Gary Robertson in Raleigh; Alex Derosier in Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Jay Reeves in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Follow Martha Wagoner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mjwaggonernc

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To learn more about Hurricane Florence, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes

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This story has been corrected to show that the death toll in North Carolina is 27 and not 29.