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NS Slug: NC:FLORENCE-RIVER FLOODING REACHES WINDOWS (STRONG) Synopsis: Video of flooding from the Pungo River in Belhaven, NC, which has risen dramatically due to Hurricane Florence Video Shows: Video of flooding from the Pungo River in Belhaven, NC, which has risen dramatically due to Hurricane Florence Keywords: HURRICANE FLORENCE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES SEVERE WEATHER STORM
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FROM EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT ALEXANDER GERST:
Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons
CLEARED: All platforms/affils
COURTESY: Alexander Gerst/ESA
PHOTOS: https://twitter.com/Astro_Alex/status/1039870760343543814
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Editor’s Note: Are you affected by Tropical Storm Florence? When it’s safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: 347-322-0415
Lumberton, North CarolinaCNN
—
Florence’s merciless deluge has already killed 18, trapped hundreds and made parts of North and South Carolina impassable – and authorities say the worst flooding is yet to come.
The tropical depression will keep dumping rain over parts of North Carolina for the next few days, with numerous rivers expected to crest at major flood stage.
Flooding already is so bad in North Carolina that the state transportation department is telling people not to travel in the state. Numerous highways, including sections of I-95 and I-40, are closed, and road flooding has virtually cut off the coastal city of Wilmington.
More than 900 water rescues have been reported in North Carolina alone, the governor’s office said – but many more people need help.The volunteer United Cajun Navy rescue group says it was helping in Leland, where about 200 people have made calls for help, after it made numerous rescues in Wilmington.
“We’re just chasing the water,” United Cajun Navy President Todd Terrell said Sunday.
And in Lumberton, North Carolina – a city submerged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 – residents are bracing for potential disaster as the Lumber River seeps through a patched-up gap in the levee system.
What to expect
As of Sunday evening, Florence was centered about 25 miles south-southeast of Greenville, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving west at 14 mph, whipping 35 mph winds.
By the storm’s end, up to 40 inches will fall in southeastern North Carolina and the northeastern tip of South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. Other parts of the Carolinas will be left with up to 20 inches of rain, causing significant river flooding, with some rivers not cresting until later this week.
Up to 6 more inches of rain could fall in parts of North Carolina and Virginia from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening, forecasters said. The storm should move up into West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and parts of New England by Tuesday, dropping 2 to 4 inches of rain there.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jason Lee/AP
Maura Walbourne sits in the front of a canoe as she looks inside her flooded home in Conway, South Carolina, on Sunday, September 23.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
A home in Conway, South Carolina, is inundated by floodwaters on Wednesday, September 26, one week after Hurricane Florence.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Taylor James navigates floodwaters in a boat in front of Trinity United Methodist Church in Conway, South Carolina on Wednesday, September 26.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Ken Blevins/AP
Floodwaters from the Neuse River cover part of Kinston, North Carolina, on Monday, September 24.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jason Lee/AP
Brian Terry looks at the floodwaters outside his home in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday, September 22.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jason Lee/AP
An officer with the South Carolina State Highway Patrol marks the water level of Highway 22 on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jason Lee/AP
Avery Singleton takes a boat to Pine Grove Baptist Church in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Evan Vucci/AP
President Donald Trump hands out food at Temple Baptist Church, where food and other supplies were being distributed Wednesday, September 19, as part of Hurricane Florence recovery efforts in New Bern, North Carolina.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Evan Vucci/AP
Trump shakes hands as he visits the New Bern church on Wednesday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A woman in Currie, North Carolina, sits on a damaged road surrounded by floodwaters on Tuesday, September 18.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jerry Wolford/Perfecta Visuals/Polaris/Newscom
Ronnie Gainey pulls an electric guitar from his flooded home in Darlington, South Carolina.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Sean Rayford/AP
Two people near Wallace, South Carolina, sit on the top of a vehicle that was caught in flooding on Monday, September 17.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
David Goldman/AP
Rescue personnel help people evacuate a flooded area in Spring Lake, North Carolina.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Steve Helber/AP
Floodwaters surround a trailer in Pollocksville, North Carolina, on September 17.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Steve Helber/AP
Pollocksville resident Willie Schubert cradles his dog, Lucky, atop a stranded van as they await help from the US Coast Guard on September 17.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Tom Copeland/AP
Floodwaters are seen on North Carolina's Emerald Isle on Sunday, September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Steve Helber/AP
Chicken farm buildings are inundated with floodwaters near Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
JONATHAN DRAKE/REUTERS
Panicked dogs left caged by their owner are rescued by volunteer Ryan Nichols in Leland, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Callaghan O'Hare/Getty Images
A church is partially submerged in Richlands, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY NETWORK
Coast Guard member Blake Gwinn helps Josephine Horne escape her flooded home in Columbus County, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Robert Willett/AP
A large tree lies on top of a mobile home in Newport, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
John Hendren leads horses to safety after the US Coast Guard helped cut up a fallen tree that had trapped the animals in a flooded field in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer//TNS/Getty Images
Tony Thompson stands in the wreckage of his mobile home as Florence moved inland over Newport, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
A woman and a young girl walk down a flooded road in Pollocksville on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Steve Helber/AP
Floodwaters inundate parts of Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jason Miczek/Reuters
Members of the Coast Guard help a stranded motorist in floodwaters in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Gerry Broome/AP
A man peers from his flooded home in Lumberton on September 16.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
David Goldman/AP
Members of a search-and-rescue team help an elderly resident onto a bus as they evacuate an assisted living facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 15.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Tom Copeland/AP
A member of the US Coast Guard checks on homes after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on September 15 .
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A neighbor takes photos of a boat smashed against a car garage near the Neuse River in New Bern on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Eric Thayer/The New York Times/Redux
A truck is submerged in floodwaters in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Gray Whitley/AP
Joseph Eudi surveys debris and storm damage at a home in New Bern, North Carolina, on September 15.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
A woman calls for help at her flooded residence as Florence brought large amounts of rain and floodwaters to Lumberton, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
People wait in line to fill gas cans at a gas station that was damaged when Florence hit Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Tom Copeland/AP
A baseball field on Mill Creek Road is filled with floodwater after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Steve Helber/AP
Floodwaters from Florence inundate the town of Engelhard, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Al Drago/UPI/Newscom
Ray Baca of Wilmington, North Carolina, checks his phone as he sits on a bench.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A sailboat lifted by storm surge leans against a building at Bridgepointe Marina in New Bern, North Carolina, on Saturday, a day after Florence's landfall.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Kim Adams wades through floodwaters surrounding her home in Southport, North Carolina, on September 15.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Volunteers help rescue three children from a flooded home in James City, North Carolina, on Friday, September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
David Goldman/AP
Russ Lewis covers his eyes from wind and sand in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Volunteers help rescue people from their flooded homes in New Bern on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
Waves crash into the Second Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The storm leaves a tree toppled in New Bern on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Andrew Nelles//The Tennessean/USA Today Network/SIPA
Soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard reinforce a low-lying area with sandbags in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Andrew Carter/The News & Observer via AP
Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten are rescued from floodwaters in New Bern on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chris Seward/AP
Teddie Davis checks on one of the New Bern's signature bear statues toppled by the storm on September 14. Another one of the bears, in the background, ended up in the middle of a downtown street.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Michael Candelori/NurPhoto/Sipa
Rising waters threaten downtown Washington, North Carolina, as the Pamlico River overruns its banks on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
LOGAN CYRUS/AFP/Getty Images
An abandoned van sits on a flooded road near New Bern on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Angie Propst via AP
A boat sits wedged in trees in Oriental, North Carolina, near New Bern, on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Members of a Federal Emergency Management Agency team from California search a flooded neighborhood in Fairfield Harbour, North Carolina, on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
Rescue workers attempt to remove a giant tree that fell onto a house in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 14. Two people died when the tree collapsed -- among the first storm-related deaths due to Hurricane Florence.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
Electric poles that snapped in half sway from their wires in Wilmington on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Victor J. Blue/The New York Times/Redux Pictures
Lee Casteen, left, and Try Hinton use a chainsaw to clear a tree blocking a road in Wilmington on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Rescue workers help a woman and her dog from a flooded house in James City on September 14.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Michael Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River flooded September 13 in New Bern.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach on September 13.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Residents wade through streets flooded by the Neuse River in New Bern on September 13.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Alexander Gerst/ESA/Twitter
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Caitlin Penna/EPA
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
David Goldman/AP
Marge Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September 12.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Gerry Broome/AP
Workers take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Alexander Gerst/ESA/Twitter
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Mic Smith/AP
Both lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Laura Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk, Virginia, on September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Jonathon Gruenke/The Daily Press/AP
Veronica Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Caitlin Penna/EPA
Chuck Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
‘Let’s get in the truck and get out of here’
About 532,338 customers in North Carolina and 61,000 in South Carolina don’t have power. But the number of actual people without power is far greater, since a single customer can represent an entire family.
Lumberton was still recovering from Hurricane Matthew when Florence swept through. Now, workers are racing against rising flood waters to shore up the city’s main levee system before the river crests.
Coast Guard members help a stranded motorist Sunday in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Jason Miczek/Reuters
By Sunday afternoon, the river had reached nearly 24 feet. It is expected to crest late Sunday or early Monday around 25.7 feet. If the river gets higher than 26 feet, “all bets are off,” city public works deputy director Corey Walters said.
At one point Sunday afternoon, part of a makeshift barrier meant to plug a low point in the city’s main levee system gave way and river water leaked through – prompting workers to try to shore it back up with construction equipment.
Bobby Hunt’s house is still damaged from Matthew. As the river kept rising Sunday, he knew it was time to flee. Hunt said Matthew caught them by surprise with flooding in the middle of the night. He’s not waiting for that to happen again.
One family riding out the storm in a cluster of homes on the outskirts of Lumberton was content to leave their fate in God’s hands. “I just feel comfortable staying. We have our dogs and our property, so we stay,” 57-year-old Kenan Chance, said.
Their homes are still damaged from Matthew, but they survived, members of the family said. Whether they stay or go, they’ll have damage to contend with.
Her father, 84-year-old Rembert Walters, says that if his relatives dispersed to different havens, he’d spend all his time worrying about them.
“We’re not going to move until this thing’s over. It’s going to wipe us out or kill us. Or bury us, or something,” he said as floodwater crept upon his porch. “‘Cause we don’t run every time this thing happened.”
Betty Walters says she has health issues that are hard to manage at a shelter. “It’s just better for us to stay at home,” she said. “I trust in the Lord. He calmed the waters and he’s going to look after us.”
The fear of sudden, massive river flooding isn’t limited to Lumberton. Forecasters say many rivers across the state still haven’t crested – some won’t crest until late Sunday or Monday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said it’s not too late to go to an emergency shelter. More than 15,000 people are staying at 150 emergency shelters. And if those shelters fill up, he said, the state will open up more.
Wilmington is basically cut off
The coastal North Carolina city of Wilmington, population 117,000, is so deeply submerged that no one can get in – not even aid workers carrying fuel and critical supplies.
Part of downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, is inundated by water from the swollen Cape Fear River.
Natasha Chen/CNN
FEMA crews and power company trucks were turned away Saturday night because of the flooding, Saffo said.
The Wilmington-based Cape Fear Public Utility Authority urged residents to fill bathtubs and containers with water in case the utility doesn’t have enough fuel to keep its water treatment plants running.
Nearby Pender County, north of Wilmington, also is running out of fuel, Commissioner Jackie Newton said. Near the community of Wards Corner in that county, US 421 was a virtual lake, with waters lapping up to homes on either side, video from a CNN crew showed.
The North Carolina attorney general’s office has received more than 500 complaints of price gouging – including for hotel rooms, gas and water. Authorities have launched investigations.
Causes of death include electrocution and fallen trees
The death toll from Florence rose Sunday, with authorities saying 18 deaths have been linked to the storm:
– A 3-month-old baby who died after a tree fell on a mobile home in Dallas, North Carolina.
– A man who died when a his truck hit an overpass support beam on Interstate 20 in Kershaw County, South Carolina.
– A man who drowned in an overturned vehicle on a flooded road in Georgetown County, South Carolina.
– A woman who suffered cardiac arrest in Hampstead, in North Carolina’s Pender County. When emergency responders tried to reach her, their path was blocked by fallen trees.
– Another person in Pender County, according to the county’s emergency management director. No details were immediatelyavailable.
– A man who was killed while checking on his dogs in Lenoir County, North Carolina.
– Another man in Lenoir County who was electrocuted while trying to connect two extension cords.
–An 81-year-old man who fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate in Wayne County, North Carolina.
As much of North Carolina faces flooding for days, Gov. Cooper said the risk of more deaths is quite real.
“Remember: Most storm deaths occur from drowning in fresh water, often in cars,” he said. “Don’t drive across standing or moving water.”
Cassie Spodak reported from Lumberton. CNN’s Kaylee Hartung, Jeremy Harlan, AnneClaire Stapleton, Steve Almasy, Elizabeth Stuart, Miguel Marquez, Polo Sandoval, Sarah Jorgensen, Jennifer Duck and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.