Florence pummels the Carolinas

Our live coverage of Hurricane Florence, now a tropical depression, is concluding.

Despite its weakening, authorities have warned the danger is far from over – flash and river flooding may get worse and hundreds of thousands remain without power.

Stick with CNN and see our latest report. Here’s how to help those impacted by the storm.

Florence has weakened to a Tropical Depression, according to the National Hurricane Center, but is still expected to produce heavy and excessive rainfall over much of the Carolinas.

This will be the last advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Florence.

More than 740,000 people remain without power on Sunday morning in North and South Carolina.

NC Emergency Management reports there are 681,446 customers in the dark there as of 4 a.m. The counties with the most customers without power are New Hanover, Brunswick, Carteret, Cumberland and Onslow.

SC Emergency Management reports 59,048 households are without power in their state as of 4 a.m. Total without power: 740,494.

The US Army is committing troops to help with Hurricane Florence recovery efforts, providing soldiers and engineers, as well as planes and amphibious vehicles.

More than 13,000 service members have been deployed to provide support in affected areas, from the US Army and the National Guard as well as teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Army is also freeing up 4,500 cots, 200 medical beds and 18 water purification systems.

In a news release the US Army said it was also supplying:

• Over 70 rotary wing aircraft plus another 200 additional aircraft available within 24-72 hours if necessary. 
• Approximately 30 watercraft and 3,000 Army High Water Vehicles from Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Drum, New York; and Fort Campbell, Kentucky for ground search and rescue, commodities distribution, citizen transportation, and patient movement.

Two more deaths in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence were recorded in Horry County, in South Carolina, late Sunday, taking the total toll from the storm to 13. The latest deaths involve a man and woman who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the SC Department of Public Safety.

Here’s how the numbers break down:

10 in North Carolina

• A 41-year-old woman and her seven-month-old son died in Wilmington on Sept. 14 when a tree fell on their home.
• A 68-year-old man in Lenoir County died when he was electrocuted while plugging in a generator on Sept. 14.
• A 77-year-old man in Lenoir County fell and died due to a cardiac event while outside checking on dogs during the storm on the night of Sept. 13/14.
• An 81-year-old man in Wayne County fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate on Sept. 14.
• A husband and wife died in a house fire in Cumberland County on Sept. 14.  
• Duplin County has had 3 fatalities due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways.

3 in South Carolina 

• A 61-year-old woman lost her life when her car struck a tree that fell down during the aftermath of Hurricane – she’s been named as Mrs. Amber Dawn Lee from Union County.
• Two fatalities occurred when a man and woman died in Horry County due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the SC Dept of Public Safety. 

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, there are  704,483 statewide power outages. Electric cooperatives of South Carolina report 28,328 outages.

That brings the total number of customers without power to 732,811 across both states.

Corey Walters, City of Lumberton deputy director of public works, tells CNN the Lumber River is currently at 17.6 feet. When the water reaches 26 feet, it is projected to overwhelm the barriers and flood the nearby communities. The area has already been put under a mandatory evacuation order. 

There is flooding “everywhere in the city… the rescues are non-stop,” Walters said, adding that there have been “hundreds of rescues.”

The deputy director said city has received 19 inches of rain since the start of Florence and it is projected to get over 25 inches total.

As Florence battered the Carolina coast, one couple who evacuated their home in New Bern, North Carolina, welcomed a baby girl.

Rachel and Levi English left the state to seek refuge at a relative’s home in Pennsylvania, and it wasn’t long after arrived that baby Matilda made her entrance.

Read more here.

Florence has killed at least 11 people in both North Carolina and South Carolina, officials from both states have reported. Duplin County, North Carolina, has had 3 fatalities due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways, according to the Sheriff’s Office, bringing the state’s storm-related deaths to ten people.

North Carolina’s Chief Medical Examiner’s office has details on the 7 deaths in that state:

• A 41-year-old female and her seven-month-old son died in Wilmington, NC, when a tree fell on their home
• A 68-year-old male in Lenoir County, NC, who died when he was electrocuted while plugging in a generator
• A 77-year-old male in Lenoir County, NC, who fell and died due to a cardiac event while outside checking on dogs during the storm
• An 81-year-old man in Wayne County, NC, who fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate
• A husband and wife died in a house fire in Cumberland County, NC  

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster released the name of the woman who died.

• Amber Dawn Lee, 61, from Union County, SC, died when her car struck a tree that fell down during the aftermath of Florence, according to a South Carolina Office of Emergency Management official

A man was arrested for allegedly looting an Exxon gas station and convenience store in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

From the New Hanover Sheriff’s twitter account:

NOAA says in a tweet:

The situation is quickly growing more dangerous for people in the low-lying areas near the Lumber River in Lumberton, North Carolina.

The message below was sent out by the Robeson County PIO.

Duplin County, North Carolina, has had three fatalities due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways, according to the sheriff’s office.

This brings storm-related fatalities to nine. Eight people have died in North Carolina while one person died in South Carolina.

PHOTO: White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence receive an emergency preparedness update call on the impact of Hurricane Florence in the Treaty Room of the White House.

The water in the Lumber River is rising faster than officials in Lumberton, North Carolina, expected, Corey Walters, City of Lumberton deputy director of public works, tells CNN’s Cassie Spodak.

It’s estimated the water is now close to 15 feet – flood stage is 13 feet. 

The city has spent the last 24 hours frantically trying to build up a barrier in a gap in the levee system here, where a train track runs under I-95, that helped lead to the devastating flooding after Hurricane Matthew, he said.

Lumberton public information officer Emily Jones told CNN the water is rising faster than expected and has already reached 14 feet. It is expected to reach 24 feet by lunch time tomorrow.

There is no mandatory evacuation but residents in the low-lying areas that were flooding during Hurricane Matthew should leave now.

People wait in line to fill up their gas cans at a gas station that was damaged when Hurricane Florence hit the area, on September 15, 2018 in Wilmington, North Carolina.

PHOTO: Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon is asking out-of-state travelers to avoid driving through North Carolina, as much of the state is dealing with rising flood waters from Florence.

“We could see this for several days,” Trogdon said at a Saturday press conference. “This is what we need to do today to make sure motorists are safe in North Carolina.”

All lanes of Interstate 95 are closed in both directions between Exit 81 near Raleigh-Durham and Exit 65 near Godwin, due to flooding, according to NC DOT.

While a portion of Interstate 95 near Dunn, North Carolina, is expected to re-open Sunday, NC DOT anticipates additional closures in the Fayetteville area, near the Cape Fear River. Those closures could last a week.  

Drivers from neighboring Georgia and Virginia are being asked to use alternative routes, NC DOT says. Visit NCDOT.gov for a map and information on latest road closures.

Note: This post has been updated.

The City of New Bern has completed all of its water rescues, the city posted on its official Twitter account.

According to CNN meteorologists, as of Friday evening, New Bern had already seen more than 10 feet of storm surge and likely more than 10 inches of rain, and hundreds of people had to be rescued.

As of Saturday morning, 100 remained waiting for help.

New Bern, home to approximately 30,000 people, sits about 37 miles northeast of Jacksonville, North Carolina, on the banks of the Neuse River. Thursday, a CNN team in the area watched as the water spilled over the edge of the river and flooded Union Point Park in a matter of hours.

There are approximately 760,200 statewide power outages in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, and 36,272 outages statewide power outages in South Carolina, according to the electric cooperatives of South Carolina.  

That puts the total number of customers – that’s households or businesses, not individual people – without power for both states at 796,472.

Two people died in Duplin County, North Carolina due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways, Duplin County Sheriff announced.

“As of 1:30 pm on September 15, 2018, Duplin County has had 2 fatalities due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways. All citizens are advised that due to the potential hazards associated with the storm, emergency services may not be immediately available,” the Duplin County Sheriff’s office posted to its official Facebook page.

This is the 7th storm related death in North Carolina plus one in South Carolina—bringing the total to 8 for the Carolinas.

Pastor Joey Canady shot this video while surveying the damage Hurricane Florence caused inside the Hampstead Baptist Church. “As you can see, the ceiling collapsed and it’s a mess,” Canady narrated in the video.

See it:

Fayetteville, North Carolina, Mayor Mitch Colvin just warned residents that if they refused to leave the area, which officials say could soon be inundated with rising river water, they need to notify their next of kin “because loss of life is very, very possible.”

The Red Cross is asking for volunteers by going through its website. There is transportation provided for anyone who needs it, the mayor said.

“We do believe the Cape Fear River will crest at 62 feet which is less than Hurricane Matthew. We are being cautious – I will tell you that – because we don’t know for sure that 62 feet is the top crest,” Tracy Jackson, Cumberland County Emergency Services Interim Director, said in a presser.

“That is what we’re anticipating, but we are preparing for worse if we need to,” he added.

As a precaution, the county has issued a mandatory evacuation for people one mile on either side of the Cape Fear river.

Residents of Cumberland County, the city of Fayetteville, and the town of Wade, have been ordered to evacuate as officials fear rising river waters will lead to widespread flooding.

“All residents within one mile of the banks of the Cape Fear and Little River should leave IMMEDIATELY,” the police department tweeted, as the city’s communications director told CNN “the worst is yet to come.”

“We’re starting to see the waters rise rapidly. It’s something we’ve seen before with hurricane Matthew. It’s going to be a little bit worse this time around,” Kevin Arata said.

“What we’re telling people is the worse is yet to come. Really the rains are starting to collect because it’s hitting harder up north. When it goes into those banks or tributaries up there and then comes down, that’s where trouble starts. While we haven’t seen it rise all the way yet, it’s going to happen here in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said.

Florence is traveling westward, but it’s not done dumping rain on the Carolina coast.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said some coastal areas of North and South Carolina should prepare for another 12 hours of rain — or more.

“That question of when does it finally end is on a lot of folk’s minds. The problem is for the majority of them, you still have at least probably a good 12 hours to go, if not longer,” she said.

That’s because Florence is moving at a speed of about 2 mph. That’s slower than most people walk.

A 61-year-old woman died in South Carolina when her car hit a tree that fell in Hurricane Florence, according to South Carolina Office of Emergency Management spokesman Antonio Diggs.

Diggs said the woman was driving in Union County on Friday but did give any additional details.

This is the first death reported in South Carolina linked to the storm. Five people have died in North Carolina:

• A mother and her infant child died in Wilmington after a tree fell on their house, the city’s police department said.
• In the town of Hampstead, a woman in cardiac arrest was found dead after emergency responders found their path blocked by downed trees, assistant county manager for Pender County, said.
• Two men in Lenoir County also died: One who was hooking up a generator and another who was checking on his dogs outside.

The American Red Cross says more than 150 blood drives have been canceled through early next week in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia because of Florence.

Those cancelations will result in more than 4,400 uncollected blood and platelet donations, the organization said.

The organization is encouraging residents in unaffected areas to donate blood to help.

Florence is unloading “epic amounts of rainfall,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said in a press conference Saturday.

Cooper also offered advice for residents:

• “If you are safe, stay put. We know that people are anxious to get back home. But don’t go back until this storm passes and you get the official all clear.”
• “Water is rising fast everywhere, even in places that don’t typically flood. Many people who think that the storm has missed them have yet to see its threat.”
• “Remember, most storm deaths occur from drowning in fresh water, often in cars. Don’t drive across standing or moving water.”

On top of the advice, Cooper shared some words of hope and inspiration.

“We in North Carolina have been through tough storms and this one is sure testing us,” he said. “But now is the time for us to persevere. I have never known North Carolinians to quit in the face of a challenge and we’re not about to start.”

Watch more:

A volunteer rescue truck drives underneath a fallen tree in New Bern, North Carolina.

PHOTO: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The National Weather Service is tracking wind speeds across North Carolina.

Here’s a look at some of the peak gusts recorded across the state:

• New River inlet: 112 mph                  
• Fort Macon: 105 mph                   
• Wilmington International Airport: 105 mph                 
• Cape Lookout: 97 mph                  
• Cedar Island: 89 mph                  
• Cherry Point: 87 mph                   
• Jacksonville: 86 mph                   
• Frisco Woods: 80 mph                  
• Ocracoke: 80 mph                   

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency just gave an update on how they’re handling Florence. They said they believe they have adequate supplies including meals and generators.

Here are the latest numbers FEMA provided:

• 6,500 National Guard have deployed. Another 2,900 active duty are also standing by. 
• 7,500 Coast Guard have deployed.
• 43 helicopters are in use, and the Coast Guard is beginning to conduct flights to assess damage and the situation on the ground.
• The military has 1,300 high-water trucks working and available in the region.   
• The Army Corps of Engineers has 120 generators available in the region and more are on the way.  
• US Health & Human Services has 560 personnel deployed, mostly assisting individuals at shelters with their health care needs.   
• The one number we don’t have? There’s no cost estimate from FEMA for this storm. However, “This is going to be a costly storm,” officials said.

More than 960,000 power outages have been reported in North and South Carolina due to the storm.

809,665 power outages have been reported in North Carolina. 155,097 power outages have been reported in South Carolina.

That’s 964,762 customers total without power.

But keep in mind: These numbers reflect the customers without power, not people. A lot of those customers might have multiple people in their households, meaning the number of people without power could be even higher.

Parts of North Carolina have seen more than two feet of rain. The city of Swansboro alone has gotten more than 30 inches — which breaks the all-time record for rainfall in a tropical system in the state of North Carolina. 

Here’s a breakdown of the top rain fall reports across the state. But note: These are only from stations that are still reporting. It’s unclear how many stations broke during Florence.

• Swansboro: 30.58 inches                 
• Hofmann: 25.87 inches                   
• Newport/Morehead City: 23.75 inches                  
• Emerald Isle: 23.49 inches                   
• Elizabethtown: 20.17 inches                   
• Croatan: 19.89 inches                  
• Cedar Point: 19.25 inches                  
• Mount Olive: 16.80 inches                  
• Jacksonville: 16.13 inches   
• Kinston: 16.01 inches                               

Horry County spokesperson Kelly Brosky said her South Carolina county has some localized flooding but is otherwise doing pretty well. That might change soon though.

For now, the situation seems to be under control. There aren’t any major road closures and officials are getting crews on the field to focus on fallen trees and power restoration.

About 87,000 people are without power, and 2,700 people are in shelters, Brosky said.

Tropical Storm Florence now has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s still crawling westward across South Carolina at just 2 mph, which is about as fast as you walk.

Of note: Florence is about 40 miles south of Florence, South Carolina.

All of the ponies on North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island are safe, the National Park Service tweeted.

Even the pony pen remained intact.

Horses were first documented on Ocracoke Island when European colonists settled there in the 1730s. Since then, they’ve been a major part of its history.

We’re not sure how wild horses in other areas are doing, but we’ll keep you posted here as soon as we learn more. Ahead of the storm, experts suggested that North Carolina’s wild horses would be OK.

Meg Puckett, herd manager of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, said the ponies were built to weather storms like Florence.

Two deaths characterized this morning by North Carolina’s Carteret Office of Emergency Services as being “storm related” are not related to Florence, according to the Sheriff’s Department in Carteret County.

On Friday, the Carteret County Sheriff’s Department responded during active hurricane conditions to investigate the reported deaths of residents there, according to a release from the Sheriff’s Department.

A preliminary investigation confirmed the deaths of couple Pauly and Alicia Lewis to be murder-suicide, according to a statement from the department.

Carteret County Emergency Services spokeswoman Amanda Tesch says there are no storm related deaths in the county. 

The death toll for Florence stands at 5 people.

• A mother and her infant child died in Wilmington after a tree fell on their house, the city’s police department said.
• In the town of Hampstead, a woman in cardiac arrest was found dead after emergency responders found their path blocked by downed trees, assistant county manager for Pender County, said.
• Two men in Lenoir County also died: One who was hooking up a generator and another who was checking on his dogs outside.

Florence has dumped 30.58 inches of rainfall in Swansboro, North Carolina. 

This breaks the all-time record for rainfall in a tropical system in the state of North Carolina. 

The previous record was 24.06 inches, and it was set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.  

And remember: This number — and all rain totals — are preliminary and subject to change.

Jeff Byard, with FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, urged residents along to Carolina coast to stay vigilant as Florence begins to move away from the area.

While the storm’s winds may be weakening, water — in the form of heavy rainfall, flash flooding and storm surge — is still a concern.

“Wind can hurt you,” Byard said at a Saturday morning news conference. “It is the water, it’s the surge, it’s the rain that … can kill you more than the wind can.”

Water has accounted for more than 75% of all hurricane-related fatalities in the US from 1963 to 2012. Wind, on the other hand, is only responsible for 8% of all deaths.

Watch more:

While Tropical Florence is starting to move away from North Carolina, its effects aren’t over. Many communities are bracing for flooding.

CNN’s Polo Sandoval is reporting from Lumberton, North Carolina.

He continued: “Many people here believe that the worst could still be ahead. Yes, they were spared the wind damage, but the floodwaters — that could still be in their future.”

About 100 people in New Bern, North Carolina, still need to be rescued from the floodwaters brought on by the storm, the city’s mayor Dana Outlaw told CNN.

Rescuers have already plucked about 400 people out of the waters since Friday afternoon.

The city has seen more than 10 feet of storm surge and likely more than 10 inches of rain as of Friday evening, according to CNN meteorologists.

New Bern is home to approximately 30,000 people and sits about 37 miles northeast of Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Tropical Storm Florence is moving at 2 mph. That’s about as fast as you could walk.

Since making landfall yesterday in North Carolina, Florence has only moved about 100 miles. That is an average of just about 4 mph for 24 hours.

For comparison: The average speed for an Atlantic hurricane at Florence’s latitude is 16.9 mph.

Why the speed matters: Florence’s slow crawl is why the flooding has been — and will continue to be — catastrophic. As the storm continues to slowly move west, it is close enough to the coast to pick up moisture and energy from the ocean (therefore allowing extreme feeder bands of rain to continue to pour over the same saturated areas of South and North Carolina).

Florence isn’t the only storm we’re watching. At least two people have been killed by Typhoon Mangkhut, which crashed into Philippines Saturday morning. It’s the strongest storm of 2018 so far.

Rescue teams rushed to the aid of a man who tried to cross a massively flooded area caused by the typhoon.

Watch the rescue here:

Aquino Lord, who shot the video before rushing to help the rescue team, said the team was able to get him out safely.

“The man in the video is safe,” he told CNN. “He attempted to pass across the flowing water but he failed. He is from our neighboring Barangay. At the moment that this incident happened, we were not yet there. We just came to help.”

Two people in Carteret County, North Carolina, have died due to the storm, according to the Carteret County Office of Emergency Management Services.

Officials say the Carteret County Sheriff’s Department will release additional details this morning.

This brings the total storm deaths to seven people.

• A mother and her infant child died in Wilmington after a tree fell on their house, the city’s police department said.
• In the town of Hampstead, a woman in cardiac arrest was found dead after emergency responders found their path blocked by downed trees, assistant county manager for Pender County, said.
• Two men in Lenoir County also died: One who was hooking up a generator and another who was checking on his dogs outside.

President Trump has approved a disaster declaration for eight North Carolina counties, the White House said in a statement Saturday.

The approval makes available federal funding, which can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low cost loans to cover uninsured property losses as well as other aid both for homeowners and business owners.

The counties included in the declaration are:

• Beaufort
• Brunswick
• Carteret
• Craven
• New Hanover
• Onslow
• Pamlico
• Pender

A North Carolina man went to sleep during Florence — and woke up to tree branches in his bedroom.

Harry Mathias III said his father was sleeping in his New Bern home when a tree came crashing through the ceiling.

“About an hour after he fell asleep, a piece of drywall came in from the ceiling woke him, along with the rest of us, with a loud bang,” he told CNN. “After taking a look we realized rain water was coming in and tree branches were coming in from the attic.”

He added: “If the tree had fallen about 3-4 more feet, it would have crushed my father to death.”

Despite the harrowing experience, Mathias said he dad went out to cut up other fallen trees in the rain, just 10 hours afterward.

Here’s the footage: