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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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The worst hurricanes to hit the Carolina coast
Wilmington, North CarolinaCNN
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Florence has left the Carolinas, but the death toll keeps rising as remnants of the storm generate rain, floodwater and tornadoes.
Now a post-tropical cyclone, Florence has killed 32 people, trapped hundreds more and cut off an entire city, officials said. Residential streets have turned into rivers, and freeways have morphed into waterways dotted with rescue boats. And the storm continues to wreak havoc.
The first Florence-related death in Virginia was reported Monday as a tornado associated with the storm’s outer bands caused a building to collapse near Richmond. And reports in North Carolina of two hog-farm lagoons being breached and more being inundated by flood waters are causing health concerns.
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.
“This is a monumental disaster for our state,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday. “This is an epic storm that is still continuing because the rivers are still rising.”
Florence will probably dump another 2 to 5 inches of rain on central and southeastern North Carolina, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. But even when the rain lets up, water gushing downstream is expected to cause “catastrophic and historic river flooding” for days across portions of the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said.
CNN
‘There will be flooding like we’ve never seen before’
In addition to flooding across the Carolinas, flash-flood warnings were in effect Monday night across parts of far southern Virginia, where several tornadoes were confirmed Monday by storm spotters. One of those tornadoes hit Chesterfield County south of Richmond, causing a building collapse that killed one person.
In North Carolina, residents are slowly being allowed back to their homes in some areas. On Tuesday morning, residents of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina – where Florence made landfall – will be allowed back on the island, and Craven County’s mandatory evacuation will be lifted. But officials warned that homes and roads may still not be accessible and people attempting to return should use extreme caution.
Elsewhere, however, officials continued to warn people not to travel in or through the state. Some interstates, including sections of I-95 and I-40, are impassible and remained closed.
A dam burst Monday night in Lilesville in south-central North Carolina, causing evacuations.
Meanwhile, about 488,551 customers in North Carolina and 16,385 in South Carolina still don’t have electricity. But the number of actual people without power is far greater, since a single customer can represent an entire family.
Emergency workers made at least 1,000 swift-water rescues in North Carolina by Monday, but many more people need help. And those trapped in floodwater could also be without power for days.
The situation is especially dire in Wilmington, a city so deeply submerged that no one could get in Sunday. State authorities eventually were able to open one road into the city of 117,000. But it’s not for residents to use to return.
Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded home in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
“We do not want evacuees to go back. There’s too much going on,” Cooper said.
The state’s Department of Transportation said it’s not clear how long that road will stay open, so authorities are trying to rush in supplies. And supplies such as fuel are in critical need. The Wilmington-based Cape Fear Public Utility Authority urged residents to fill bathtubs and containers with water in case it doesn’t have enough fuel to keep its water treatment plants running.
Pender County, just north of Wilmington, is also running out of fuel, Commissioner Jackie Newton said.
Evacuee loses car trying to get a flood victim food
Wilmington evacuee James Ammons can’t get a break.
James Ammons
CNN
He just moved to Wilmington a few weeks ago and already lost his car in the storm, he said.
“The reason why I lost my car is because there was a girl who hadn’t had food, and I wanted to get her some food,” Ammons said.
He tried to find safety at an emergency shelter, but it got flooded out. So he went to another emergency shelter – but that, too, got deluged.
“I’ve been to three shelters so far,” Ammons told CNN.
He said the stress is running high for evacuees who aren’t sure how badly their homes are damaged. But he said perspective is important.
“You have to be grateful for what you have right now.”
North Carolina Task Force members search for residents Sunday in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
David Goldman/AP
River threatens to swallow Lumberton … again
In Lumberton, North Carolina – a city submerged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 – residents were bracing for disaster as the Lumber River seeps through a patched-up gap in the levee system.
Lumberton, North Carolina, is dealing with post-hurricane flooding for the second time in two years.
CNN
The river is expected to crest around 25.7 feet. If it gets higher than 26 feet, “all bets are off,” city public works Deputy Director Corey Walters said.
Already, the floodwater in Lumberton has engulfed Bill Kozak’s home.
“I’m 5’9” and it got to the top of my chest in a lot of areas,” Kozak said.
He said he’s frustrated after dealing with two hurricane-induced floods in two years.
“It feels like there hasn’t been much done to prevent this from happening,” Kozak said.
Once he’s done repairing flood damage from Florence, Kozak said, he and his family are moving out of Lumberton.
‘Bring your pets with you!’
Some residents said they decided to stay because many emergency shelters don’t accept pets. But those who left without their pets faced the wrath of passers-by and social media users.
Freelance journalist Marcus DiPaola tweeted that he helped rescue six dogs in Leland, North Carolina, after they were left locked in an outdoor cage.
“We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned. BRING YOUR PETS WITH YOU!” he wrote.
Causes of death include drowning and fallen trees
Of deaths linked to Florence, 25 were in North Carolina, six were in South Carolina and one was in Virginia. They include:
On Monday afternoon, Florence was centered about 85 miles west southwest of Morgantown, West Virginia, the National Weather Service said. It was moving north at 13 mph, whipping up 25-mph winds. Mountainous parts of southern Virginia are now at risk of flooding, mudslides and landslides due to Florence’s heavy rains on Monday, said Guy, the meteorologist.
The storm is expected to move north through the Charlottesville, Virginia, area before heading toward the Ohio Valley, hitting West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.
By Tuesday, “the remnants of Florence will be pushed towards the Northeast, where areas from northern Pennsylvania through central New York towards Boston could pick up some heavy rain,”
CNN’s Kaylee Hartung reported from Wilmington, and Cassie Spodak reported from Lumberton. CNN’s Chuck Johnston, Spencer Parlier, Judson Jones and Artemis Moshtaghian also contributed to this report.