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:
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
3 in South Carolina
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:
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster released the name of the woman who died.
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:
“If you break into someone’s home or business, we will arrest you!”
NOAA says in a tweet:
“The center of #Florence is still slowly making its way across eastern South Carolina, as seen by #GOESEast. Heavy rains and catastrophic flooding persist across parts of the Carolinas.”
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.
“ALL SHELTERS ARE OPEN. St Pauls High School, Purnell Swett High School, Lumberton High School, Fairmont Middle. Please evacuate NOW if you are living in a low-lying area or your home is flooding. Please share this important!!!!!”
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.
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
The National Hurricane Center just released it’s latest forecast advisory for Tropical Storm Florence. It has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and it’s moving westward at 2 mph (that’s a walking pace).
The storm is expected to travel northwest through South Carolina today and tomorrow morning. After that, it will keep curving to the north, the latest potential track shows.
Here’s the latest projected path:
It’s officially been 24 hours since the eye of hurricane Florence made landfall on the coast of North Carolina yesterday.
While Florence has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, it still packs a powerful punch. It is expected to hover over the Carolinas today, dumping tons of rain, and flash-flooding is still possible. (Remember water — not wind — is the deadliest storm hazard).
Here’s what has unfolded in the 24 hours since Florence made landfall:
Watch more:
Florence, now a tropical storm, is hovering over South Carolina after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane yesterday morning. Here’s what to expect today:
North Carolina Emergency Management says 786,769 customers are without power statewide.
The good news? This is approximately 3,000 less power outages than reported late last night.
A tornado watch is in effect for coastal sections of North Carolina after Tropical Storm Florence leaves flooding in its wake, reports CNN’s Karen Maginnis.
Annazette Riley-Cromartie and her family decided against evacuating their home in eastern North Carolina after noticing that the massive storm appeared to be weakening.
“It came in slowly, but then it steady kept rising,” Riley-Cromartie told CNN.
The family quickly retreated to higher areas of the house but then heard the unmistakable sounds of people crying out for help.
“You just keep hearing people yelling, and you can’t do anything,” Riley-Cromartie said. “It’s the worst feeling in the world.”
At least 780,964 residents in North Carolina have been left without power around the state, according to North Carolina Emergency Management.
The highest concentration of outages are in Brunswick, New Hanover, Carteret, Cumberland, Johnston, and Robeson counties, the agency tweeted.
Tropical storm Florence will continue to trigger “life-threatening, catastrophic” flash floods in North and South Carolina, south-central Virginia and West Virginia in the coming days, the US National Weather Service said in a tweet on Saturday morning.
Separately, the US National Hurricane Center also warned of storm surges as the extreme weather event continues to lumber inland.
Storm surges, punishing winds and torrential rain are turning some towns in the Carolinas into rushing rivers.
New Jersey Emergency Management posted a video on their official Twitter account of the moment then-Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina.
The footage was captured looking out of the front of one of their high-water vehicles and shows the heavy rain lashing the surroundings as the road ahead begins to flood.
In South Carolina, the storm has knocked out power to more than 165,000 homes across the state, according to a tweet from South Carolina Emergency Management on Saturday morning.
The organization also warned people to use flashlights rather than candles and never to use a generator inside their residences.
Lieutenant Mitchell Ruslander and his team from Swift-water rescue have been working around the clock to help residents caught in the storm.
“We were out all night last night actually cutting holes in people’s roofs because the water levels rose so high, so quick,” he tells CNN.
“It’s just way more than I expected … Absolute worst is the flooding.”
And although the hurricane has been downgraded, he warns that people shouldn’t get complacent and immediately assume that they can return home. He suggests that residents who evacuated continue to monitor the storm.
“It’s going to take several days for all of this water to go away,” he adds.
As Florence continues to release a deluge upon the Carolinas, another massive storm is wreaking havoc in Southeast Asia.
Two people have died in the hours since Mangkhut made landfall, according to the Philippines’ national disaster agency.
Ricardo Jalad, Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said two first responders were found dead in the Cordillera Administrative Region on the island of Luzon.
Jalad also reported 51 landslides across the region as a result of the storm.
This is the big problem, says CNN’s Karen Maginnis. While the event has weakened to the point that it is now a tropical storm rather than a hurricane, the rain will keep coming down and it’s hard to predict when it will cease.
“This is at least 48 hours, maybe out to 72 hours, certainly it’s going to decrease, it’s going to shift … But we have all this moisture been drawn up out of the Atlantic and thrown up on shore on these areas like Wilmington, Ocean Beach, Carolina Beach,” she says.
The excessive rainfall outlook for Saturday going into Sunday morning shows persistent high rains continuing for residents of Wilmington, Charlotte and Myrtle Beach, according to Maginnis’ projections.
“This storm is not over, we still have a ways to go,” she added.
Florence continues to inch along early Saturday, leaving flooded homes and properties in its wake. CNN’s Derek Van Dam described the scenes he’d witnessed in North Carolina where walls had collapsed, roofs had been ripped clean off buildings and trees and electrical poles toppled.
“When we were walking in the strongest part of the storm earlier on Friday, we had transformers blowing up all around us, it created almost a fireworks display in front of our eyes,” he reported from Carolina Beach.
Hurricane Florence is currently lashing the US East Coast, while Typhoon Mangkhut battered parts of the northern Philippines Saturday. In this video, CNN’s Chad Myers explains the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane:
A South Carolina woman who was planning to ride out Hurricane Florence because she couldn’t evacuate with her seven rescue dogs has found a way out.
After CNN reported on Christine Meinhold’s dilemma Wednesday, strangers reached out on Facebook – and thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, they rented her a truck so she could reach her family in Tennessee.
The organizer of the campaign, Palms Springs-based radio host Kate Zenna, said she started raising funds because she “wasn’t able to let all those dogs perish.”
As of early Saturday morning, 773,559 customers are without power due to Hurricane Florence, according to the North Carolina Department of Emergency Management.
That’s a marginal improvement from earlier estimates of over 790,000.
Much of neighboring South Carolina is also without power, with more than 130,000 outages according to the most recent estimate.
At least five people, including a mother and her infant, have died in North Carolina as Tropical Storm Florence slowly moved from the Tar Heel State into South Carolina, officials said Friday.
After coming ashore in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane, Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday afternoon and trudged into South Carolina as night came.
As Hurricane Florence is lashing the Carolinas, the northern Philippines island of Luzon is dealing with the after effects of Typhoon Mangkhut, which is now headed for Hong Kong and southern China. Though the storm has been downgraded from Super Typhoon level, it remains stronger than Hurricane Florence and could cause widespread destruction.
Annazette Riley-Cromartie thought her family would be OK because they lived in a brick house.
She was at her home in eastern North Carolina with her husband, three children and dog as Hurricane Florence churned in the Atlantic. She had watched how the massive storm seemingly had lost strength in the last few days as it dropped through the categories of hurricane power.
Both factors in mind, the family decided not to evacuate. Then, around midnight Thursday, she said water started coming into the house.
“It came in slowly, but then it steady kept rising,” Riley-Cromartie told CNN.
Hurricane Florence has knocked out power to approximately 130,000 customers in South Carolina, according to Kim McLeod of South Carolina Emergency Management.
Tens of thousands have also been left without power in North Carolina, as the storm passes over the two states bringing with it heavy winds and torrential rain.
Julie Wilson, a reporter for CNN affiliate WTVD in North Carolina, had to stop a live broadcast in New Bern to save a dog stranded in knee-deep water by Hurricane Florence.
Wilson was in the middle of a Facebook Live video (at around 7:00 in below embed) when she helped save the dog, she then continued helping other local residents who are checking on loved ones affected by the storm.
Over 100 mph winds and up to 40 inches of rain have caused just the beginning of Florence’s destruction in the Carolinas so far.
A weatherman has been widely mocked on social media after he was seen firmly bracing himself for Hurricane Florence as two people walked behind him apparently unaffected by the high winds.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the Weather Channel said it was “important to note that the two individuals in the background are walking on concrete, and Mike Seidel is trying to maintain his footing on wet grass, after reporting on-air until 1:00 a.m. ET this morning and is undoubtedly exhausted.”
American Airlines says it’s preparing to resume operations at some airports impacted by Hurricane Florence on Saturday.
The airline plans to resume operations at Raleigh Durham Airport, North Carolina and Hampton-Newport News Airport in Virginia on September 15 according to a statement. Flights from most other airports across the affected areas will not resume until Sunday or early next week.
There are currently 791,968 power outages statewide according to North Carolina Emergency Management, as the state is battered by Hurricane Florence.
Counties with the highest number of outages are New Hanover, Brunswick, Wake, Onslow and Carteret.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has been speaking to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, he said Hurricane Florence is “relentless and excruciating and very slow.” One of the major risks posed by the storm is that it stalls as it makes landfall, sitting in place and bringing with it days of heavy rain. The National Weather Service earlier warned freshwater flooding will be “catastrophic” over portions of the Carolinas.
Boats at Bridge Pointe Marina in New Bern, North Carolina have suffered damage from Hurricane Florence, according to a local boat captain who has been posting to social media after other boat owners were evacuated from the area.
The White House press secretary office sent out this photo showing President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence receiving a hurricane briefing in the White House Situation Room.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley later said Trump called North Carolinian officials today to assure them that the federal government “stood ready and prepared to assist with anything their state and respective communities would need during this natural disaster.”
The center of Tropical Storm Florence crossed into eastern South Carolina and is moving west at just 3 mph, according to the latest advisory from National Hurricane Center.
The storm still has sustained winds of 70 mph and is bringing life-threatening storm surges and catastrophic freshwater flooding over portions of North and South Carolina.
Florence will continue to bring flooding to both states through the weekend, CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward says.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued an executive order to help speed hurricane relief to impacted areas.
Executive order No. 55 was issued to help with temporary housing and aid in the transport of generators and trucks to affected parts of North Carolina.
“This loss of life is devastating and the friends and families of the victims remain in our prayers,” Cooper said in a statement. “The fact is this storm is deadly. And we know we are days away from it ending.”
CNN has confirmed five people have died from Tropical Storm Florence so far.
Separately, forces from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserves are in “ready mode” to provide hurricane relief support to FEMA and other state and federal agencies feeling the effects of Hurricane Florence.
Water purification, high water vehicles, and rotary wing aircraft that support search and rescue efforts are just a few of the Army capabilities ready to respond and available for action when the call comes in.
Reporter Adam Owens from CNN affiliate WRAL shot video of severely damaged and flooded businesses in New Bern, NC earlier this afternoon. He reports that water knocked out the window of one salon and “tossed around everything inside.”
See it:
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said the South Carolina city held up “quite well” from its impact with Tropical Storm Florence.
However, the coming flooding over the coming days in surrounding areas is likely to have a “truly devastating impact” on Myrtle Beach’s economy.
“What we are the most concerned about is we have five major rivers that surround us, and we only have one major road into Myrtle Beach, but all of our major roads are going to be affected by this flooding within the next three to seven days,” she said.
“And when that flooding gets here, it can last up to 10 to 12 days or longer from what we are being told.”
You can listen to Mayor Bethune’s comments below:
Facebook activated a safety check for areas affected by Tropical Storm Florence.
The feature allows users in storm-hit areas along the Carolina coasts to let their friends know if they are safe.
A group of firefighters in Wilmington, North Carolina, knelt and prayed outside the home where a mother and her infant child died from a tree falling on their home.
They were the first known deaths in the storm.
The father was also injured in the incident and was transported to a nearby hospital.
A 77-year-old man was found dead at his residence in Kinston, North Carolina on Friday, the fifth death related to Tropical Storm Florence.
It is believed he died by being blown down by wind when he went to check on his hunting dogs.
The man’s family found him dead at 8 a.m., Lenoir County Emergency Services Director Roger Dail.
Nearly 650,000 customers are without power statewide, according to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
Cooper said that utility companies estimate that 1 million to 2.5 million customers could be without power before the end of the storm.
The utility companies have brought in resources from out of state to help with restoration efforts, Cooper said.
In addition, 20,000 evacuees are in over 150 shelters statewide.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has agreed to open a mega shelter on their campus in Chapel Hill, Cooper said. One mega shelter was already opened at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
Hundreds of people have been rescued in New Bern, North Carolina according to Governor Roy Cooper.
Cooper said that swift water rescue teams have rescued hundreds of people and continue to search flooded areas.
Goodbye, Hurricane Florence. Hello, Tropical Storm Florence.
Florence has officially been downgraded to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
But don’t take that downgrade lightly. Life-threatening storm surge will continue tonight and catastrophic flooding is expected over portions of North and South Carolina through the weekend.
The Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina reached a water level of 8.28 feet at high tide Friday, a level higher than in any previous storms.
The river previously reached 8.17 feet during Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 8, 2016, and it reached 8.15 feet during Hurricane Hazel on Oct. 15, 1954.
Typical water levels there range from 1 to 5 feet.
Hurricane Florence is moving slowly towards the South Carolina border at a speed of 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
That makes it still hurricane-force winds, though just barely.
A total of 639,729 customers are without power statewide according to North Carolina Emergency Management.
The counties with the highest concentration are Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Johnston, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Sampson and Wake.
The White House says President Trump is expected to visit areas affected by Hurricane Florence next week.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders said, “The President is expected to travel to areas affected by the storm early to middle of next week, once it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts. We will keep you posted when we have details.”
One person was killed in Lenoir County, North Carolina while plugging in a generator, according to a press release from Governor Roy Cooper’s Office.
This brings the total of Hurricane Florence-related deaths up to 4.
A Wilmington woman and her infant child died when a tree fell on their house, and a Pender County woman in cardiac distress died after first responders could not reach her during the storm.
A woman in Pender County, North Carolina, died Friday morning after emergency responders weren’t able to get to her due to downed trees and debris in the road, Chad McEwen, the assistant county manager for Pender County, said.
McEwen said 911 was called for a woman in cardiac distress in Hampstead, North Carolina.
A front-end loader was used to move trees in the way, but by the time emergency responders arrived arrived she had already died, McEwen said.
This is the third reported Hurricane Florence death.
A mother and her infant child were killed in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a tree fell on their house, Wilmington Police Department confirmed in a tweet earlier today.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said that anyone who loots during Hurricane Florence will be shown “no mercy” by law enforcement.
McMaster said Florence will be different than previous storms that have hit the area, and its effects will be felt for longer as it travels slowly. “This will be with us for about two days,” he said.
He said residents should expect impassable bridges, washed out roads, landslides and flooding. He also pleaded with them to be patient.
“The last thing we want to do is lose lives in South Carolina because of impatience,” he said.
CNN rode along with Jason Weinmann as he drove into flooded neighborhoods to pull storm victims to higher ground in New Bern, North Carolina.
The 47-year-old retired Marine bought a military troop transport vehicle 10 years ago at a government auction and is driving it through flooded streets to reach people who need help.
“That’s why I got this thing, to use in times like this,” he said.
Weinmann pulled 10 people out of flooded neighborhoods and delivered the storm victims to a shelter in New Bern.
Jennifer Morales, 20, was one of those evacuated from her home with her husband and son, who turns 2 next month. The family had 3 feet of water in their home and so called for rescue help, and it took 12 hours for rescuers to get to them.
“It was pretty bad. We didn’t know where to go,” she said.
A mother and her infant child were killed in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a tree fell on their house, Wilmington Police Department confirmed in a tweet.
“WPD can confirm the first two fatalities of Hurricane #Florence in Wilmington. A mother and infant were killed when a tree fell on their house. The father was transported to NHRMC with injuries.”
These are the first known storm-related deaths due to Hurricane Florence.
FlightAware’s live map shows plenty of flights over the US’s East Coast — and they’re all avoiding Hurricane Florence.
American Airlines announced it canceled 340 flights on Friday. Another 210 flights are canceled on Saturday, and 100 are canceled Sunday.
Yesterday, Delta announced it canceled 150 Friday flights ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Hurricane Florence’s sustained winds have weakened to 75 mph, just 2 mph away from being downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the 2 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Still, Florence continues to bring life-threatening storm surges, hurricane-force wind gusts, and catastrophic flooding across North and South Carolina.
Florence is located 35 miles west-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina and is moving west at 5 mph. The storm is forecast to slowly move farther inland and then turn toward the north over the coming days.
Emergency crews from New York City are in North Carolina to help with rescues during Hurricane Florence.
NYC Emergency Management tweeted out this clip of an ongoing water rescue in River Bend:
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, Super Typhoon Mangkhut just made landfall in the northern Philippines as the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane.
The Philippines is evacuating thousands of people, deploying soldiers and positioning emergency provisions as Mangkhut threatens more than four million people in the north of the country.
Here are some more details on Mangkhut’s incredible strength:
Side-by-side images of Hurricane Florence and Super Typhoon Mangkhut show the difference in their sizes.
Hurricane Florence is poised to bring flooding and destruction to thousands of homes in the Carolinas and Virginia, and another blow to the federal program meant to insure homeowners and businesses against flood damage.
Most private insurance policies don’t protect against damage from floods caused by rain, overflowing rivers or storm surge. For that damage, the National Flood Insurance Program, which is run by FEMA, provides most of the coverage.
The cost of claims is supposed to be covered by the premiums paid by policyholders. But attempts by Congress to raise premiums enough to cover actual damages caused an outcry from those living in flood zones. That prompted Congress to back off plans to raise rates and place limits how much premiums can be increased.
And that only added to massive losses in the program.
Last year with hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, the program paid out $8.7 billion to policyholders, the third highest total in the program’s history.
New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington are implementing a curfew tonight, officials in North Carolina said.
The curfew will go into effect at 10 p.m. ET, and will remain in place until 6 a.m. tomorrow.
The yard of Ben Johnson’s Belhaven, North Carolina, home has become an ocean.
He shot footage of waves crashing onto his front yard.
Johnson said did his best to secure his property, but the storm got the better of it.
One by one, he and his neighbors’ garage doors succumbed to the surge — and their contents began spilling out.
“The contents are floating down the street,” he says in another video. “Saw a few of my good friends and neighbors rescuing my content. So maybe we can salvage a few things there.”
Watch more:
More than 620,000 customers in North and South Carolina are now without power. Here are the latest numbers:
Hurricane Florence is pounding North Carolina with rain, and it’s not expected to stop any time soon. One forecaster even suggested the state could see 10 TRILLION gallons of rain before this is all over with.
Some cities have already seen more than a foot of rain. Here are some of the heaviest rainfall reports we’ve gotten so far:
FEMA released updated figures regarding response to Hurricane Florence this morning.
Here are the top takeaways:
The city manager for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, John Pedersen, just signed a proclamation implementing a overnight curfew tonight. It will go into effect at 7 p.m. ET and stay in place until 7 a.m. ET tomorrow.
This is the third night in a row Myrtle Beach will be on curfew. On Wednesday night, there was one from 10 p.m. ET until 6 a.m. ET Thursday.
A second curfew went into effect at 7 p.m. ET yesterday and lasted until 7 a.m. ET today, Mayor Brenda Bethune said.
The city of New Bern, North Carolina, is known for its artistic bear statues decorating downtown.
They were installed in 2010 to mark the city’s 300th anniversary (Why bears? It’s New Bern’s symbol.)
Hurricane Florence has caused significant flooding in New Bern — and it has even washed one of the beloved bears into the middle of the road.
The statue was bolted down, but the storm still managed to uproot it, the City of New Bern tweeted:
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper just gave an update on Hurricane Florence, which made landfall in the state earlier this morning.
Here are the latest numbers about the hurricane and North Carolina’s relief efforts:
Watch more:
The Cajun Navy is out rescuing people in New Bern, North Carolina, this morning, where floodwaters have overtaken the town.
The Cajun Navy is a volunteer rescue organization formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Organizer Clyde Cain told CNN they were staged in New Bern and had received more than 500 calls for assistance.
CNN’s John Berman was reporting in Wilmington, North Carolina, this morning as Florence’s bands dumped heavy rain on the city.
Live footage showed him drenched in the rain, and the wind got so bad, it split his microphone cord in two.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Berman’s standup may have set a record.
Watch more:
The National Hurricane Center just released an updated forecast and a map showing Florence’s projected path.
The storm — which made landfall in North Carolina this morning — is expected to crawl westward, across South Carolina, before it turns to the north.
It’s traveling at just 3 mph, which is a walking pace.
Parts of the Carolina coast remain under a Hurricane warning.
CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has been out in Hurricane Florence all day — and night — long.
He took video of himself this morning in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, this morning as the eye wall came ashore. The wind gusts — which clocked in around 95 mph — can be heard in the clip, and Van Dam’s coat is seen whipping in the wind.
Last night, Van Dam captured the moment power went out as Florence’s bands pummeled the city.
Watch it go dark in Carolina Beach:
Hurricane Florence’s winds are down to 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
When the storm made landfall at 7:15 a.m., it had 90 mph winds. (Note: Florence will remain a hurricane until winds drop to 73 mph. Then it will become a tropical storm)
The hurricane is moving at 3 mph — that’s a walking pace. The slow movement means there will be a continual pelting of rain.
And about the water: Some areas of southeastern North Carolina have already seen 14 inches of rain. Life-threatening storm surges continue, and catastrophic freshwater flooding is expected, the center said.
The biggest shelter in New Hanover County, North Carolina, has started leaking, Jeanine Powell, with New Hanover County Emergency Management, tells CNN.
Officials are moving people within the shelter at Trask Middle School to drier areas.
There are 236 people in the shelter and there are no plans to move people there to other shelters.
The Trask Middle School shelter is one of five in New Hanover County. There are 568 people total in the five counties.
Strong winds and pouring rains are battering Southport, North Carolina.
Instagram user @its_the_creeks_life posted video of the stormy conditions.
See it:
Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company will donate $1 million to the Red Cross in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
Here’s his full message
The American Red Cross is urging residents in non-impacted areas to give blood as Hurricane Florence batters the Carolina coastline.
The organization had to cancel about 130 blood drives because of the hurricane, so it’s calling on volunteers from outside the area to donate.
The group made the announcement at a FEMA news briefing.
Watch more:
More than half a million customers are without power in North and South Carolina. Here are the latest numbers:
Astronaut Ricky Arnold tweeted a picture from the International Space Station of Hurricane Florence making landfall.
Check it out:
At least four people have been arrested in Brunswick County, North Carolina, for felony breaking and entering.
The sheriff’s office announced the arrests on its Facebook page, and issued a warning to anyone considering looting during the storm:
Here’s the full statement:
Floodwater levels reached more than 7 feet in Washington, North Carolina.
Tammera Cooper took a picture of the makeshift rain gauge near her home. The area gets plenty of flooding when it rains — enough that they’ve turned a pole into the giant rain gauge.
The pole’s markings go up to nine feet.
Around 6 a.m. Friday morning, water levels were hovering just below the 8-foot mark. (However, she added that the the tide has started to go down and that the water level has dropped to about 6.5 feet.)
Cooper says her house was built at 14 feet above sea level, so they are safe.
Here’s what the pole looks like on a normal day:
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are expected to give an update of Hurricane Florence at 9:15 a.m. ET.
We’ll cover the briefing live here, and you can watch it in the video player at the top of this story.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long this morning told CNN that the storm is “doing exactly as predicted.”
Watch more from Long:
Wind often gets the headlines, but water is the thing that’s most responsible for deaths in a hurricane.
And Florence will bring water. It’ll pour down from the sky in heavy rain bands. And it’ll come up from the ocean in storm surge.
About half of all deaths in hurricanes come from storm surges, like this graphic shows:
Colleen Roberts, spokeswoman for New Bern, North Carolina, said about 200 people were rescued overnight as the city began to flood.
Another 150 people are still waiting to be rescued, she said. A lot of power lines and trees are down around the city, and there has been significant damage to businesses and the Historic Downtown District, she said.
Rescuers have very challenging conditions, but they are telling people who need to be rescued that they will get them out.
So what does the flooding look like in New Bern? Jay Schreiber took this photo of floodwaters from the Trent River near his home in Sky Sail Condos:
As Hurricane Florence pounds the East Coast, President Trump is tweeting praise for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, first responders and law enforcement officials.
FEMA is set to give an update at 9:15 a.m. ET on their Hurricane Florence efforts. We’ll be covering it live here.
Meanwhile, check of the President’s tweet:
CNN’s John Berman is reporting on Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina. While giving an update on the storm while standing in the rain, his audio suddenly cut out.
When he got his mic back, he explained what happened:
Watch the moment:
Wrightsville Beach police officers went out driving around while inside the eye of Hurricane Florence.
Some scattered debris can be seen throughout the live stream, but weather conditions are relatively calm and clear.
Watch the footage:
Looters be warned: You’re not welcome at the Knuckleheads Bar and Grill in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The restaurant’s boarded-up windows have a spray painted sign stating “LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT”
The National Hurricane Center just released it’s updated forecast for Hurricane Florence.
The storm made landfall at 7:15 a.m. near North Carolina’s Wrightsville Beach, just east of Wilmington. The storm is projected to travel westward through South Carolina. Later, this weekend, the storm will turn north.
The next update will drop at 11 a.m. ET. You can also track Hurricane Florence’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.
Hurricane Florence made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET just east of Wilmington, North Carolina. The storm is dumping rain and lashing Wilmington with hurricane-force winds.
CNN’s John Berman is reporting from the city. Check out what it’s like there:
Amy Johnson took video of flooding in Belhaven, North Carolina.
Her footage shows floodwaters up to a building’s windows:
Bill Saffo, the mayor of Wilmington, North Carolina, has lived in the city his whole life, and he said he’s never seen a hurricane like the slow-moving Florence.
Saffo said the entire city is out of power and many trees are down.
CNN’s John Berman is reporting from Wilmington. Video showed him drenched in the rain as wind whipped around him.
Watch more:
Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina at 7:15 am ET.
It has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
Winds at at the Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina reached 92 mph this morning.
That marks the highest wind gust measured since Hurricane Donna hit in September 1960, the National Weather Service reported.
Here’s the service’s full break down of top winds in Wilmington:
HLN meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is in the eye wall of Hurricane Florence. Video showed roaring winds and pounding rain.
He noted that when the eye moves over land, conditions will be calm.
Watch the footage:
Brenda Bethune, the Mayor of Myrtle Beach, said the city is still in “waiting mode.” She’s expecting hurricane-force winds to start at 9 a.m. ET.
She urged residents to make any final preparations before Hurricane Florence hits.
“Any last-minute things to secure, you have another hour to do that. Stay inside during the storm,” she said.
Ken Graham, with the National Hurricane Center, said Hurricane Florence is about to make landfall in North Carolina.
We’re talking a lot about storm surge today. It’s expected to be one of the storm’s most devastating effects.
The city of New Bern, North Carolina is currently seeing about 10 feet of storm surge. Graham said the surge could be “miles and miles inland” because the storm’s winds are so strong.
Watch more:
The New Bern Police Department in North Carolina tweeted photos this morning showing flooding in the city’s downtown area:
As of 6 a.m. ET, New Bern got a reported 7 inches of rain. Storm surge is more than 10 feet.
Earlier this morning, police said about 150 in New Bern were awaiting rescue.
Many customers in North and South Carolina are waking up in the dark. Here are the latest numbers:
Hurricane Florence’s outer bands started to whip the Carolina coast yesterday, and the the rain and wind continued overnight and into this morning.
Here’s where things stand now:
It’s just after 10 p.m. ET. Our live coverage of Hurricane Florence’s near-arrival on the Carolina coast will continue early Friday morning. Here’s where we leave things:
Where is the storm now?
It’s getting closer. As of 9 p.m., the center of Florence was about 75 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. Already, its outer bands have started pounding towns by the river. Here’s an explainer on the different parts of a hurricane.
When is landfall?
Florence’s center will approach the North and South Carolina coasts late Thursday and Friday. The actual landfall – that is, when the center of the eye reaches land – will be after daybreak Friday.
What’s the biggest threat?
Wind often gets the headlines, but water is the thing that’s most responsible for deaths in a hurricane. And Florence will bring water. It’ll pour down from the sky in heavy rain bands. And it’ll come up from the ocean in storm surge.
About half of all deaths in hurricanes come from storm surges, like this graphic shows.
Understandably, you have a lot of questions about Florence. So we turned to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller for some answers. (if you have more questions, tweet @brandoncnn and he’ll try to get to them.)
There are 102,308 customers currently without power statewide according to North Carolina Emergency Management.
The top counties affected are Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Onslow and Pamlico, the agency reported.
Hurricane Florence is packing wind gusts that have been reported over 100 mph – the highest wind gust was 106 mph which was reported at Cape Lookout, NC. Over a foot of rain has so far fallen in some areas.
The storm’s latest position is 75 mi ESE of Wilmington, NC, and it’s crawling NW at 5 mph.
CNN photojournalist Mark Biello was sent to New Bern, NC, to cover Hurricane Florence, and he tells us that many of the geese, ducks and birds were trying to seek shelter from the rising waters and high winds while they were setting up a shot.
Then, during one live shot from the town’s riverfront, a solitary, panicked pigeon flew into Mark’s lens and sought refuge on top of his camera.
“I’ve been at CNN for 35 years,” Mark said, “and just when you think you have seen and done it all, something new happens!”
The bird would surely agree.
Anheuser-Busch says it sent six truckloads, or more than 300,000 cans, of emergency canned drinking water to communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, for those who may need it in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
From the announcement:
The emergency drinking water will be sent to Anheuser-Busch wholesaler partners Carolina Eagle, KW Beverage and R.A. Jeffreys, who will work with the American Red Cross, the South Carolina National Guard, and other local partners to distribute the water to those in need.
The water will be transported from Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Cartersville, Georgia, which periodically pauses beer production to can drinking water so as to be ready to help communities in times of disaster.
CNN affiliate Spectrum News Raleigh reporter Ryan Breslin tweeted photos of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which was virtually empty Thursday evening.
According to Spectrum News Raleigh, the last flight departs at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The White House released this evening the following photos that show President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen receiving briefings on Hurricane Florence, both in the Oval Office and at the National Security Council’s Resilience Directorate.
The photos were released as the President came under fire for a tweet he sent earlier today that falsely claimed “3,000 people did not die” in Puerto Rico, despite an independent study showing nearly 3,000 died in the months that followed last fall’s Hurricane Maria there.
Streets disappear as flooding continues in New Bern, North Carolina, on Thursday night.
Meghan Margarum, the bar manager, shares this the view from the third floor of Persimmons Restaurant. She told CNN she is safe and staying at the restaurant through the hurricane.
She is stocked with supplies and says the electricity just went out.
“We have hurricane grade windows and what not but the first floor looks like it will take on water,” she said.
Watch:
WCTI’s newsroom in New Bern, NC, has been evacuated because of floodwaters coming into the building, WCTI’s Meteorologist Donnie Cox just mentioned live on air.
Cox and another anchor will remain in the building providing the forecast as long as they’re able to, they said. You can watch their livestream here.
AccuWeather Storm Chaser Reed Timmer tells CNN a storm like Florence could change the Outer Banks forever:
“With a storm like this, it’s very likely that the Outer Banks of North Carolina, including the barrier islands, will never look the same again, after a surge this substantial.”
Watch:
Traditionally, fall is low season for food banks across the country. They usually see a surge in demand during the summer months, which depletes their stocks.
But then, when they have to deal with a monster storm like Hurricane Florence, it really strains them.
Harvest Hope has three locations in South Carolina, and has found its resources strained because of Florence. Many food banks and food pantries are in the evacuation zones and have closed, shifting the needs to places like Harvest Hope that are still open.
The center also has been sending food and supplies to soup kitchens, first responders and other food banks in the projected path of the storm, Waters said.
Donations are coming in, but they won’t fill the need for all the food the center will be providing.
“What we have in our warehouse right now after this storm will probably only last two days,” she said.
We just obtained footage from Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, where conditions are rapidly deteriorating as the tide surges inland.
Hurricane Florence strengthened slightly as of the 6 p.m. ET update, up to 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Florence remains a category 2 hurricane.
Hurricane force wind gusts are now being felt along the central North Carolina coast and water levels are increasing quickly.
See it:
Mikey Zalloum of Uncle Mikey’s Brick Oven Pizza is sweating as he works feverishly making pizzas tonight.
His bustling pizza restaurant is one of the only businesses open in the evacuated town of Myrtle Beach as Florence nears.
Why is he open when the town is evacuated? He says he has been through this many times and that “nothing is going to happen.”
He admitted he usually doesn’t make the pizzas himself but he is tonight because “everybody is scared” – including most of his staff.
He has lived in Meryl Beach for 15 years after moving to the area from Boston, MA.
When asked if he’ll be open tomorrow, he simply shrugged.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam told Virginians to “shelter in place and stay off the roads” from now on, in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.
At a news conference moments ago, the Governor said the storm is expected to arrive in Virginia tonight and into tomorrow.
“We anticipate tropical storm force winds, flooding and several inches of rain in parts of the state,” he said.
Todd Willis, owner of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, shared this video of tidal flooding in Kennel Beach, NC. “This is just the beginning,” Miller narrates in the video. “It hasn’t even gotten here yet and there’s already water [in the] bottom part of people’s houses.”
CNN has crews all over the Carolina coast as Hurricane Florence moves in. Here’s what to expect from some of those locations over the next 36+ hours as we cover this massive storm.
Jacksonville/New Bern, NC
Synopsis: This is the first location to receive hurricane force winds, which should begin in the 6p-9p timeframe Friday night. Storm surge will also be highest in these locations, especially around the high tides (just after midnight and noon).
Winds: Hurricane force winds begin around 6p Thursday and will last through early afternoon on Friday. Winds will remain over 50 mph in this location through daylight hours and into Friday night.
Storm Surge: 8-12 feet This will be highest around the high tides at 1am and 1pm Friday
Wilmington/Carolina Beach, NC
Synopsis: Wilmington will see some of the worst conditions, and for the longest amount of time. Wilmington will also see the some of the highest rainfall totals for the storm, which could approach 40 inches.
Winds: Hurricane force winds will begin later tonight around 8 or 9p and will last for a full 24 hours. Wilmington will not see wind gusts drop below 50 mph until Saturday afternoon, at the earliest.
Storm Surge: 7-11 feet, high tide is 1:30a and 2p on Friday
North Myrtle Beach, SC
Synopsis: Tropical storm force winds are still offshore at the moment but will be moving into South Carolina in the next couple of hours. Winds will really pick up in this location early in the morning on Friday, building through the day and peaking late afternoon/evening.
Winds: Hurricane force wind gusts begin Friday morning by 5a and will last through evening hours. Winds above 50 mph last until daybreak Saturday morning. They will also change direction during Friday afternoon, going from a northerly wind to being from the south, at which time the storm surge will begin to be a concern.
Storm Surge: 4-6 feet, surge isn’t an issue until the wind changes direction on Friday afternoon
Myrtle Beach, SC
Synopsis: Rain bands will not reach this location until Friday morning, likely in the 4a-6a timeframe. Conditions will worsen through the day and should be at their worst from 2pm to 10pm Friday afternoon to evening.
Winds: Tropical Storm force winds should begin this evening around 7-8p and will stay above TS force until Saturday afternoon. The peak of the winds for them should occur stating Friday afternoon and last until early Saturday morning – likely peaking 7p-midnight Friday night where winds could gust up to 90 mph
Storm Surge: 4-6 feet, surge isn’t an issue until the wind changes direction on Friday afternoon
Hurricane Florence has strengthened slightly, up to 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in a 6pm update on the storm. Florence remains a category 2 hurricane.
Hurricane force wind gusts are beginning to be felt along the central North Carolina coast and water levels are increasing quickly on the southern side of the Outer Banks.
There are 68,892 customers are currently without power statewide according to North Carolina Emergency Management.
The top counties affected are Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow and Pamlico, the agency reported.
The Facebook page for the Frying Pan Tower wants everyone to know they’ll replace the torn American flag next time they’re about to do it – after the storm has passed.
“Hey folks, the last time we were out we put up a new flag. With respect, we will retire and replace it next trip. We see the tears and know that good men and women fought for America and are honored to fly old glory!” they write on the page.
The flag can be seen live on its webcam, and it was torn by the hurricane’s high winds earlier this afternoon.
Beaufort Mayor Everette Newton just spoke to CNN and told us that it’s “too late” for residents there to leave. Instead, they should hunker down and wait it out.
“It’s really dangerous out right now, with lots of limbs coming down, lots of debris going around,” he explained. “They need to shelter in place.”
Watch:
Hurricane Florence is bearing down on North Carolina.
This afternoon, the storm blew the roof off a small building in Atlantic Beach, according to CNN affiliated WGHP. WGHP photographer Chris Weaver captured the damage.
Meanwhile, about 40 miles northwest in New Bern, Florence has already downed some trees, according to the town’s Twitter account.
Hurricane Florence has sustained winds of 100 mph and is moving at a slowed-down pace of 5 mph, according to the latest forecast advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
“Florence has continued to slow down, and radar fixes over the past couple hours suggest that Florence has possibly stalled due to a re-organization of the eye/eyewall,” the NHC said in its forecast discussion.
The storm is located about 100 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Florence’s center is expected to approach the Carolina coasts tonight and move near or over the coasts on Friday.
The center will release its next forecast at 8 p.m. ET. You can also follow Hurricane Florence’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said that a prison buildings in the evacuation zone for Hurricane Florence will not be evacuated.
Here’s why: McMaster said it is on the edge of the zone, and it has “sturdy buildings.”
He added: “We are as prepared as anyone in the country and probably more so,”
So far, 16,711 customers across North Carolina are without power, according to North Carolina Emergency Management.
The counties experiencing the most outages are:
Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall in the Carolinas, but its effects are already being felt in Norfolk, Virginia.
Joshua Hillman took several photos of lightly flooded streets in Norfolk’s Colonial Place area on Thursday. It hasn’t even begun to rain yet there, he wrote on Instagram.
“Just taking a walk thru Colonial Place before the storm,” he wrote.
Take a look at his photos:
More than 700 search and rescue personnel are ready to respond in South Carolina, officials said in a presser.
They are ready to respond as soon as winds die down and it is safe to do so.
Residents can remain fire safe during storm by avoiding candles and open flames for light, the state’s fire marshal said in a presser.
Other tips he added are:
Over 22,000 patients have been evacuated from hospitals, David Wilson, Acting Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, said.
Shelters are at 12% their total capacity in the state. Residents should bring blankets, pillows, comfort items, medicine, identification, and any special food items. Service animals allowed in shelters. Four pet friendly shelters are open.
Cheryl Browning, whose son has terminal cancer, and her family are staying behind in Richlands, North Carolina, because she couldn’t find anywhere else to go, she told CNN.
She said many hotels would not accept her family’s pets: Three dogs and three parrots.
“Either no rooms are available or we are denied because the breed or size of dogs,” Browning told CNN. “Many that will accept them only allow one per room and since we have 3 dogs and 3 parrots they’re requesting us to purchase 2-6 rooms.”
She said she found just one hotel that would take them: And each room cost about $1700.
“Since my husband retired and my health declined, we have his retirement as an income. He is the only caregiver to me and my son,” she said. “So, since we can find anything within our means and staying nearby, we’ve opted to stay.”
She said the family will stay put “until the weather calms down a bit.”
“We may leave once the rain slows a bit IF there are roads and not pools. I’m not going to lie, I’m scared but I think it’ll be OK,” she told CNN.
This is what it looks like outside her family’s home right now:
Conditions in South Carolina won’t be normal for “many days” following Hurricane Florence, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said, as he warned residents that “time is running out” to evacuate.
So far, 421,000 people have evacuated from the state, McMaster said.
“We know that things will not be normal for many days,” he said. “Power will be out for a long time, think about what you need.”
McMaster said power line crews, law enforcement, and other first responders will be the first people let back into the evacuations areas. Residents will not be allowed back in until it is opened. The governor said South Carolina law enforcement authorities are on high alert for looters.
Watch more:
We’ve been watching Explore.org’s surf cam off the North Carolina Coast all day. The American flag predominately shown in the shot has now ripped in the wind, as Hurricane Florence approaches.
Explore.org’s live camera is positioned at the Frying Pan tower off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Watch the moment:
You can watch the live camera below.
Wind often gets the headlines, but water is the thing that is most responsible for deaths in a hurricane.
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.
That’s why Hurricane Florence is still an incredibly dangerous storm – it will contain extreme amounts of water, both coming up from the ocean in storm surge, and falling from the sky in heavy rain bands.
About half of all deaths in hurricanes come from storm surge. Even though Florence has weakened to a category 2, it will contain a storm surge more like a major hurricane thanks to its massive size and slow movement.
Florence is forecast to slow down to a jog-like pace as it moves near the coastline, which will allow two full tidal cycles to push high tide 5 to 10 feet above normal.
The slow pace will also create incredible rain totals of more than 20 inches over portions of North and South Carolina. According to stats compiled from Weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue, about 17 trillion gallons of rain will fall over the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia.
More than 1 in 4 deaths in hurricanes come from inland flooding, which often catches people by surprise as it can occur several hundred miles from landfall.
One way to get a snapshot of a community is to read its newspaper.
As Hurricane Florence barrels down on the Southeast US, the region’s front pages are portraits of urgency and unease.
Check out how nine newspapers from the eastern Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia are covering the storm.
CNN’s Dianne Gallagher is in New Bern, North Carolina, where Union Point Park on the Neuse River has started flooding.
Watch more:
Hurricane Florence remains a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the latest forecast advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is located about 145 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Florence’s center is expected to approach the Carolina coasts later today and move near or over the coasts tonight and early Friday.
The center will release its next forecast at 5 p.m. ET. You can also follow Hurricane Florence’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.
President Trump just tweeted that he has been briefed on Hurricane Florence.
Florence is currently a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Tropical storm conditions have already reached North Carolina.
Julia Fitzpatrick tells CNN she’s seeing flooding near Hammocks Beach in Swansboro, North Carolina. This is along the intracoastal.
High tide was at 11:00 a.m. ET this morning.
She took these photos of the rising water, which has reached dock level.
Even adjusting for inflation, nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes to hit the US mainland since 1900 have come since in the last two decades.
The trend is clear. Hurricanes are causing more damage in terms of dollars than in the past. But why?
The explanation, experts said, is relatively simple: More and more people are choosing to live near the coast, and housing and building costs in those locations are more expensive than they used to be.
“Continued development along the East and Gulf coasts of the United States is likely to increase hurricane damage simply by increasing the amount of property that is exposed to damage,” a 2016 Congressional Budget Office report said.
In addition, those changes are exacerbated by rising sea levels and more powerful hurricanes due to climate change, experts said.
Add in the impacts from climate change “and it’s going to bend the curve upward even more,” said Tom Birkland, professor of public policy at North Carolina State University.
Red Cross spokesperson Stephanie Rendon provided an update on shelter totals:
Hurricane Florence is currently a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The hurricane has been downgraded twice since Monday, when it was a Category 4.
But don’t let category fool you: Florence is still a dangerous storm. Even though the top winds are weaker, the size of its hurricane force winds have doubled in the last 48 hours. This means that more people, structures and land will be subject to the dangerous winds. Storm surge predictions have also stayed stable.
Here’s a breakdown of what kind of damage each category of storm can do:
Watch what that looks like with this animation:
Delta cancelled 70 flights for Friday due to Hurricane Florence, bringing the total number of Delta cancellations to 150 flights.
The airline had already cancelled about 80 flights on Wednesday, as many airports in the Carolinas have elected to close in preparation for the coming storm, Delta said.
European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst shared stunning photos of Hurricane Florence from space yesterday. He tweeted that the team needed a super wide angle-lens to capture the giant storm.
So how did the team get the shot? Human Spaceflight posted this behind-the-scenes video showing how the astronauts captured the images.
Hurricane Florence brings with it five major hazards:
The National Weather Service in a briefing Thursday morning laid out the potential impacts, location and timing of those five hazards in this graphic.
Frying Pan Tower, off the Coast of North Carolina, is now experiencing tropical storm weather conditions as wind speed continues to climb, according the nearby weather station,
Wind gusts are over 51 mph and sustained winds are at 40 mph; they continue to climb.
The average wave height at the lighthouse platform is almost 15 feet.
Tropical storm force winds start at 39 mph sustained winds. Hurricane force winds start at 74 mph sustained winds.
Explore.org has a camera live streaming conditions at the tower:
The Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina is expected to rise to record levels as Hurricane Florence hits the East Coast.
The river, currently at just 3.77 feet, will rise more than 20 feet in the next three days, according to data from the National Weather Service.
The rise of the Cape Fear River in Chinquapin will occur as a result of heavy rainfall from Hurricane Florence and storm surge entering the mouth of the river.
It’s expected to surpass the previous record of 23.51 feet, set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Here’s an image of what nearby Wallace, North Carolina looked like in 1999 during that storm:
Airlines have canceled all remaining flights in and out of Myrtle Beach International Airport, according to a statement from the airport.
Airlines will begin to decide when to resume operations after Hurricane Florence makes landfall, the airport said.
The airport is still open, but there are no commercial operations available and the facility is not operating as a hurricane shelter.
Here’s the full statement full statement:
Hurricane Florence is still a Category 2 storm, and it has sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the latest forecast advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The center will release its next forecast at 2 p.m. ET. You can also follow Hurricane Florence’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.
Here’s the latest projection from the 11 a.m. ET update:
The US House of Representatives announced that there will be no longer be votes tomorrow.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed that decision to cancel votes was to allow members to get home ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The House was previously scheduled to be on recess next week.
Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a Category 2 storm, but it’s still a powerful, dangerous Hurricane. Here’s a look at the latest statistics and facts:
CNN’s John Berman is in Oak Island, North Carolina, an area that’s expecting a possible 9-foot storm surge.
The homes along the beach are built on stilts — but the system may not protect the houses this time. The stilts on many of the houses are about 7 feet tall.
“If we get a 9 foot storm surge, which we’re expecting, that means the water’s going to wash right over those stilts, right into the living room and kitchen at that house, and the stilts won’t make any difference,” Berman explained.
Watch more:
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper detailed the steps the state has taken ahead of Hurricane Florence. Here are the latest numbers:
Meanwhile, energy companies are estimating there could be millions of power outages.
“This storm will bring destruction for North Carolina,” Cooper said.
Watch more:
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to take Hurricane Florence seriously, despite changing forecasts.
“Many North Carolinians see updated storm tracks, changing categories of the hurricane and landfall predictions. I’m concerned because I’ve even heard some people say that North Carolina’s getting a break. Please hear my message: We cannot underestimate this storm,” he just said at a news conference.
Cooper continued: “My message today: Don’t relax; don’t get complacent. Stay on guard. this is a powerful storm that can kill, today the threat becomes a reality. Get yourself to a safe place and stay there if you haven’t already”
He pointed to 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, a deadly storm that which wreaked havoc on the Carolina coast.
“Remember that hurricane Matthew didn’t even make landfall in North Carolina and look what it did to us,” he said.
Watch more:
Part of North Carolina has been put under a tornado watch as Hurricane Florence nears the East Coast. The watch extends from north of the Wilmington area up to Nags Head.
Here’s what that means, according to the National Weather Service:
“A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.”
Watch more from CNN meteorologist Chad Myers:
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long urged residents in costal North and South Carolina to keep heeding evacuation orders, despite the storm’s drop to a Category 2.
Storm surge predictions have not changed, and the wind field have expanded, he said, so the storm continues to be dangerous.
“Storm surge is why you have been placed under — many of you — have been placed under evacuation. We are asking citizens to heed a warning. Your time is running out,” he said. “Your time to get out of those areas … is coming to a close.”
Watch more:
John Tecklenburg, the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, said his city is prepared for the storm.
Part of that prep was turning Charleston into a “ghost town,” he said.
“It’s really hard for a mayor of a vibrant city that prides itself on hospitality to say, ‘We’re looking for Charleston to be a ghost town this weekend.’ Quiet and easy to protect, and lives safe and away from here, if possible,” Tecklenburg said.
“Come next week: Charleston is gonna be cooking and we’re gonna be back in business,” he said.
Watch more:
On Tuesday morning, Hurricane Florence was a 130 mph Cat 4 storm, but the hurricane force winds only extended 40 miles from the center.
Today, despite the storm weakening to a 110 mph Category 2, the hurricane force winds extend 80 miles out from its eye.
So even though the top winds are weaker, the size of its hurricane force winds have doubled in the last 48 hours. This means that more people, structures and land will be subject to the dangerous winds.
That, plus the expected rain and storm surge, means this storm continues to pack a devastating punch. The highest forecast is for a surge of up to 13 feet. This means that the ocean will rise to 13 feet higher than normally is seen on the coast. It does not include the massive destructive waves that will be on top of the surge.
See the wind probabilities:
NASA tweeted out satellite images of Hurricane Florence this morning. The storm is about 220 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, NASA said.
Here’s what it looks like:
Hurricane Florence’s wrath begins today, as the Carolina coasts are expected to get winds topping 80 mph late this afternoon.
Here are the key events we’re watching as the storm nears the US coast:
Programming note: Many of these briefings will be streamed on CNN.com. You can watch them here.
As of 8 a.m. ET, Myrtle Beach in South Carolina is closed.
The city of Myrtle Beach was under a curfew last night from 10 p.m. ET until 6 a.m. today.
A second curfew will go into effect 7 p.m. ET today until 7 a.m. ET Friday, Mayor Brenda Bethune said.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said the Grand Strand Medical Center in her city has evacuated everyone ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Bethune says that many people have heeded the warning to evacuate in the coastal community.
“I really don’t know how many people left,” she said. “By the looks of Myrtle Beach, it appears a lot of people more than any other storm have listened to the warnings,” Bethune said.
She added: “I would always like for more people to have evacuated. We can’t control what people do. Those who ride it the storm are doing do at their own risk.”
The National Hurricane Center just released its 8 a.m. ET forecast for Hurricane Florence.
The storm is still a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
The next advisory will drop at 11 a.m. ET. You can also follow Hurricane Florence with CNN’s storm tracker.
Here’s what the forecast looks like now:
Hurricane Florence is now a Category 2 storm, as it continues toward the Carolina coast, bringing with it life-threatening storm surge and rainfall.
But don’t be fooled by the fact that Florence has weakened slightly to a Category 2 hurricane; categories only denote the speed of sustained winds. What makes this hurricane extremely dangerous are the deadly storm surges, mammoth coastal flooding and historic rainfall expected far inland.
Even worse: Florence is expected to hover over the Carolinas, whipping hurricane-force winds and dumping relentless rain at least through Saturday.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Florence’s outer rain bands were already approaching the coast. The surf is starting to really pick up. The storm is about 205 miles ESE of Wilmington, NC, and 250 miles ESE of Myrtle Beach, SC, with maximum sustained winds of 110mph.
By the time it leaves, it’s expected to have unloaded 10 trillion gallons of rainfall in North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune issued a curfew from 10 p.m. ET Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.
A second curfew will also be issued from 7 p.m. ET Thursday to 7 a.m. ET Friday, she said.
She added: “I don’t have a percentage on how many people have evacuated but I think we have done well and our residents have taken the storm very seriously.”
Bethune warned residents will have limited capacity to get help if they stay.
“We cannot put our emergency personnel at risk to get to people who decide to stay,” she said.
Want to know how bad a storm will be? Try the “Waffle House Index” test.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s test basically looks at how quickly a Waffle House restaurant, which is usually open 24 hours days and seven days a week, can rebound after a storm.
If the Waffle House remains closed after the storm, the situation is pretty bad.
FEMA uses a traffic light-style index to rank the conditions. Here’s how it works:
Seriously.
Watch for more details:
Several states are sending resources to North Carolina before Hurricane Florence makes landfall, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
Cooper said his state is receiving assistance from Ohio, New York, New Jersey and other states in preparation for the storm.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced she would also be sending resources to North Carolina.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he spoke with President Trump about the administration’s efforts to help his state ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Here’s how he described the conversation:
“[Trump] said ‘Is there anything in South Carolina that we’re not doing?’ I said, ‘Mr. President, not that I know of.’ The governor has been very much in contact with the top administration, but he called at about 5 to make sure that we had everything we needed. And I said, ‘As far I know, you’re doing all you can to help us. I appreciate it.’”
Crops could be damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Florence, North Carolina Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler said.
Crops such as tobacco and corn are in mid-harvest, while crops of sweet potatoes, peanuts, soybeans and cotton are still in the field, he said.
Some animals have been moved to higher ground and others have gone to market earlier than they normally would to prevent loss of life from the storm, Troxler said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency for Virginia Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The declaration allows for preparation for potential impacts of Hurricane Florence.
“As the President has emphasized, we are fully prepared to support communities that need our help because of the storm,” Azar said in a statement.
Police will start door knocking in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, Wednesday night to try to convince those who haven’t yet evacuated to leave, according to Town Manager Michael Cramer.
Cramer said police cannot force residents to leave, but they will explain that after tonight they won’t be able to leave their homes due to a 24-hour curfew. However, if people do decide to evacuate they will be allowed to leave until winds reach 45 mph.
The bridge to the island will close tonight at 8 p.m. ET and no other cars will be allowed in, he said.
Cramer estimates about 100 people will try to stay on the island.
As hurricane Florence continues to make its way to the Carolina and Virginia coastlines the Army Corps of Engineers said it’s paying close attention to five federally-owned dams in the storm’s path.
The potential threat could be a breach of one of these major dams. However, on Wednesday, the Army Corps said it was confident the five dams had sufficient storage capacity and were in good structural condition to endure the storm without any breaches.
“We’ve done modeling based upon the projected precipitation on exactly what the dams would look like, and they’re all in good condition,” said Ray Alexander with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Despite that, the Army Corps said it will continue to monitor and manage the dams throughout the storm.
The Army Corps was very careful to say they can only speak for the situation for the federally managed dams. Several other dams are privately owned or owned by municipalities.
The Army Corps said they are all in “various degrees of condition.”
President Trump made remarks about Hurricane Florence at today’s Medal of Honor ceremony, boasting about the administration’s response and calling on citizens to heed warnings.
He continued: “My administration is in close coordination with state and local authorities and FEMA. These are tremendous people also.”
Trump said there was already extensive work being done on the ground.
“They’re all ready. We’re getting tremendous accolades,” Trump boasted.
Trump called on citizens to heed warnings from state and local officials.
“God bless everybody and be careful,” he said.
Watch:
Nearly 1 million people are estimated to be in evacuation zones in North Carolina, according to Gov. Roy Cooper.
Cooper encouraged residents who received evacuation orders to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere before the storm makes landfall.
State officials said between 4,000 and 5,000 evacuees are already using shelters throughout the state.
A new shelter will be open Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, which can hold 1,000 people, Cooper said.
President Trump spoke with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal today about storm preparations ahead of Hurricane Florence, according to pool reports.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released this statement about the call:
“The President spoke with Gov. Deal (GA) earlier this afternoon and let him know the federal government and the team at FEMA are here to help with anything they need. The President has received regular updates throughout the day and we continue to monitor the storm activity around the country.”
Earlier today, Deal declared a state of emergency across the state, as new forecasts showed the storm’s path could take a southwesterly turn.
Residents in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, got a stern warning from firefighters Wednesday morning to evacuate.
Meghan Scott shot this video of firefighters delivering their message over a loud speaker. A fire truck was seen driving slowly through the neighborhood.
Watch:
Quick programming note: We’re now offering a special Hurricane Florence-specific newsletter that’ll email you major alerts about the storm as we get them. We’ll keep you posted on developments and can’t-miss stories from Hurricane Florence with an in-depth look at what’s happening on the ground.
A smartphone can be a lifeline in a hurricane, but preparation is key. You don’t want to be frantically downloading the Red Cross first aid app with 5% battery and spotty cell connections after the power is out.
Here’s how to prepare your tech for a major storm:
The Centers for Disease Control activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) ahead of Hurricane Florence according to a release from CDC Media Relations.
The EOC will be open 24 hours day and seven days a week to respond to public health needs before, during and after Hurricane Florence.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, speaking a news conference Wednesday, said 300,000 people have already evacuated ahead of Hurricane Florence.
More than a million people could be evacuated before the end of the storm, he said.
About the evacuation orders: More than 1 million people in coastal areas of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have been told to evacuate.
Over 25 million people are inside the “forecast cone” from the National Hurricane Center, which extends from Virginia to Alabama as of Wednesday.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said an EMS agency, which was carrying out medical evaluations in upstate South Carolina, took this photo of an elderly couple who were evacuated from a nursing home.
“We are grateful for the incredible crews still assisting with safe medical evacuations,” the health department tweeted.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster urged residents living in low-lying areas to evacuate, even if they are not in a mandatory evacuation zone, during a news briefing Wednesday.
McMaster said that although the hurricane has weakened slightly, officials are still anticipating heavier rain than past storms. That could lead to flooding throughout the state, he said.
Paul Flaherty has been flying around Hurricane Florence’s eyewall for the past week and gathering data to provide the most accurate information to forecasters and emergency officials.
As frightening as the job sounds, Flaherty, flight director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunters, said he rather be in the air than on the ground when the storm finally makes landfall.
“A lot of people say we’re crazy. I say the people on the ground that don’t get out of the way are a lot crazier than we are. I take it up here in a heartbeat over that. That’s really the message. We really want this group to listen. We’re not out here for fun, believe me,” he said.
He added:
Watch:
American Airlines will continue to operate out of its Charlotte, North Carolina, hub ahead of Hurricane Florence, the airline said in a statement. American Airlines says there is “no impact to operations at this time.”
However, American Airlines operations at a number of smaller airports in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have been impacted:
Six nuclear power plants are within Hurricane Florence’s projected path, according to Duke Energy spokeswoman Mary Catherine Green.
Three of the nuclear plants are in South Carolina while the remaining three plants are in North Carolina, she told CNN. The plants are owned and operated by Duke Energy.
Duke’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant, 30 miles south of Wilmington, and the Sheron Harris Nuclear Plant near Raleigh are the two plants closest to Florence’s projected landfall, Green said.
Duke officials are closely monitoring the storm’s progress and movements. Crews are already working to confirm the readiness of equipment and securing materials that are outside the plant walls, she said. The company is also in regular contact with local and state officials regarding storm conditions and plant preparedness.
All six plants were designed and engineered to withstand hurricane and tornado conditions, Green said.
The Charleston International Airport will close Wednesday night ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The runways will close at 11:59 p.m. ET, and could reopen at 7 a.m. ET Saturday.
“Rapidly changing conditions associated with the path of Hurricane Florence will affect general aviation and commercial air service operations at Charleston International Airport at least through Friday,” the airport said in a statement.
The airport, which serves eight airlines, suggested checking with individual airlines ahead of that airport closure to ensure any afternoon flights are still operating.
Hurricane Florence is now a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
While the storm’s peak winds have decreased slightly, the size of the wind field increased. Forecasters warned that Florence is still expected to be an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” when it nears the US tomorrow and Friday.
Here’s the updated 2 p.m. forecast:
Inmates and staff at some North Carolina prisons are being evacuated ahead of Hurricane Florence, according to the North Carolina Joint Information Center.
The center would not identify which prison or prisons are being evacuated and would not say where those prisoners and staff are being evacuated to now, citing security reasons.
Every inmate who is being evacuated will be allowed to call a family member over the weekend, officials said.
Here’s the statement from North Carolina Public Safety:
“All offenders and staff will be evacuated from a facility threatened by Hurricane Florence. Offenders and staff are being moved to larger facilities within the state prison system and will be moved back to the affected facilities once the storm subsides and it is deemed safe for operations to continue. This process began on Monday and will continue throughout today and tomorrow. All offenders affected by the move will be allowed to make a free phone call to a family member over the weekend.”
Authorities in North Carolina will be going door-to-door Wednesday night and retrieving contact information from coastal residents who opted to stay home during Hurricane Florence’s landfall.
They will ask for contact information for next of kin during their rounds, which start at 8 p.m. ET, CNN’s Kaylee Hartung reported.
Nickya Rivera of Carolina Beach said she prefers to stay at home during the storm rather than venture out and face the uncertainty of travel.
“Our neighbors are staying, we got our generators. So I feel actually more comforted being in our home. It’s brick, the roof is hurricane proof, with our neighbors beside us. We know where the bomb shelters are, we know where the hurricane shelters are. Being on the road with possible flooded out roads, not being able to get gas, so that’s a little more concerning to me at this point than just bunkering down and being in our home where we know where we can go if we have to.”
Watch:
The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston began preparations for Hurricane Florence last week, when they spotted it on the weather radar.
“Our team has lots and lots of meetings to ensure everything goes smoothly in the event of severe weather,” the aquarium said in a statement.
Since then, employees have been gathering supplies and moving sea turtles to high ground. A team also volunteered to stay with the animals and ride out the storm.
Here’s what it takes to prepare for a major storm:
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Florence, according to his office.
The emergency declaration extends to all of Georgia’s 159 counties, Deal’s office said.
“The state is mobilizing all available resources to ensure public safety ahead of Hurricane Florence,” Deal said. “In light of the storm’s forecasted southward track after making landfall, I encourage Georgians to be prepared for the inland effects of the storm as well as the ensuing storm surge in coastal areas.”
Georgia is the fifth state to declare a state of emergency ahead of the storm, joining Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Updated forecasts show Hurricane Florence pausing later this week just off North Carolina’s coast before turning left. No part of Georgia is currently under a hurricane watch or warning, according to the latest National Hurricane Center forecast, although the state is in a potential track area for later this week.
President Trump this morning urged people in Georgia to get ready for the storm.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this post incorrectly said only three other states had declared states of emergency.
Susan Faulkenberry Panousis has ridden out storms on North Carolina’s Bald Head Island before — but Hurricane Florence will not be one of them.
“We have a hurricane plan that if it is over a [Category] 2, we leave,” she told CNN. “We got out of Dodge.”
As she packed up what she could from her home on Tuesday night, she says police officers were going door to door telling people when the last ferry was and to leave the island.
Later that night, she left the island on one of those ferries. As she evacuated, she took photos of the empty Bald Head Island marina, which is normally full of boats.
The last ferry out left at 9:30 a.m. ET today.
“When that last ferry pulls out, it’s very unnerving,” she said. “It’s unnerving to see it pull away and know, ‘That’s the last chance I have of getting off this island.’”
People in the path of Hurricane Florence are boarding up their homes and businesses and leaving behind messages for the massive storm that’s headed their way.
In Wilmington, North Carolina, a bar has boarded up its windows. The boards are painted over with the silhouettes of people, and the words “ILM Strong” – a reference to the code for Wilmington International Airport.
The locally owned and operated tavern wanted to display a sign of strength for the community.
“As I write this I am surrounded by 20 hard core locals who are here expressing concern for one another and general consensus is most are staying to brave the storm for better or worse,” one of the bar’s owners told CNN in an Instagram message from the Tavern Law account. “People have been signing the board as they walk by.”
In Rodanthe, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks, artist Randi O’Sullivan and her husband, Blake, evacuated their home on Tuesday morning along with their dog Bertha.
Before leaving, O’Sullivan painted the message “F off Flo!” on the plywood they used to protect their home that they’ve lived in for almost eight years.
Lifeguard towers have been taken down in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Crews began the process yesterday. The goal was to create one less piece of debris in the storm, crews told CNN.
Hurricane Florence is forecast to pause late this week just off North Carolina’s coast and turn left — a development that would still smash the Tar Heel State with life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and inundating rain while putting more of South Carolina in greater danger.
As Hurricane Florence barrels toward the US East Coast, several beach cams are ready to capture the monster storm and its impacts.
The storm isn’t expected to make landfall until at least Friday, but most areas along the coast will see building surf today. There will be a more substantial swell into Thursday, too, Mark Willis with Surfline said.
Surfline is operating several beach cams off the coasts of the Carolinas.
EarthCam is also tracking Hurricane Florence’s impact on the East Coast. You can watch their livestream here here.
Meanwhile, Explore.org has a camera at Frying Pan Tower in North Carolina. As of Wednesday morning, conditions looked clear, but that will surely change as Hurricane Florence moves closer to the coast.
Here’s the Frying Pan livestream:
Christine Meinhold lives just outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with her seven rescue dogs. She has decided to stay put with all of them ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Meinhold added: “I can’t abandon them. My car has over 205,000 miles on it and won’t make it far. I can’t imagine breaking down somewhere and putting them in danger.”
She said she’s boarding up her home as best as she can. She’s “prepared for the worst and hoping for the best,” she said.
Meinhold said that during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, she helped rescure animals from the floodwaters.
“I have two hurricane dogs from Matthew that I took in after they were pulled out of the water,” she said. “One was so skinny, you can imagine my surprise when I got her home and she had six puppies. Didn’t know she was pregnant, she was so skinny. I found rescue for all six puppies.”
As the US East Coast braces for Hurricane Florence, an even stronger super typhoon is barreling down on Southeast Asia, with Hong Kong and Macau square in its path.
It is powerful: Super Typhoon Mangkhut, known as Super Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines, is currently equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, with winds of at least 252 kilometers per hour (157 mph). It’s stronger than Florence, which is expected to cause massive flooding and devastation in the Carolinas.
It’s getting stronger: Mangkhut has already swept past the US territory of Guam, in the western Pacific, where it caused flooding and power outages. The storm is expected to strengthen further in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy, before it weakens slightly to a Category 4-equivalent storm as it approaches the the Philippines island of Luzon.
Even so, Guy said it will come “dangerously close to clipping the country,” causing heavy rain and flooding in the island’s north, where local authorities are preparing relief goods and security forces have been put on alert.
The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System said in total up to 43.3 million people could be affected by the storm in the Philippines and southern China.
Leah Van Buren Bolton, Jim Gregory, Mary Jackson and Robert Riker have never met. But they have at least two things in common.
All four live in mountainous areas hundreds of miles inland from the East Coast. And all have just offered their homes to some of the more than 1 million people facing mandatory evacuation orders as Hurricane Florence takes aim at the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
In recent days, Facebook groups such as Hurricane Florence 2018 and Hurricane Florence Lodging For Evacuees have hosted dozens of posts from people and organizations offering shelter to those fleeing the Category 4 storm.
“We’ve fled our share of hurricanes. And we know the cost of staying in a hotel and having to eat out can quickly add up at a time when anxiety, fear and uncertainty is high,” Riker told CNN. He and his family live in Waynesville, North Carolina – in the western part of the state – and are opening their house to a couple or small family.
“We just want to offer some relief to someone who has greater worries going on in their life than I do. We’re all in this life together. And we only have each other to rely on,” he added.
Read CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore’s story to see how these four are opening their homes and businesses to the refugees.
European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst just tweeted out a couple of photos of Hurricane Florence, which were taken from the International Space Station.
The storm is so huge, they had to use a wide-angle lens to fit it all into one shot, he said.
“Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you,” he said.
The National Hurricane Center just released its updated 11 a.m. ET forecast for Hurricane Florence.
The updated advisory is similar to the last one, which was released at 8 a.m. Parts of North and South Carolina remain under a hurricane watch, and tropical storm warnings extend into parts of Virginia.
The next forecast will drop at 2 p.m. ET. You can also track the hurricane with CNN’s storm tracker.
A CNN crew just spied a lone surfer braving the big waves off Carolina Beach Wednesday morning as Florence rumbles closer to the coast.
Note: Please don’t do this.
Hurricane Florence is a powerful Category 4 storm. Here’s the latest statistics and facts that show this hurricane’s strength and size:
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to follow orders from state and local officials ahead of Hurricane Florence.
At a Wednesday morning news conference, Cooper warned that of the flooding damage Hurricane Florence could bring to the state.
“From the storm surge alone, tens of thousands of structures are expected to be flooded in North Carolina,” he said at a news conference this morning.
Here’s how the state is preparing for the storm:
Watch more:
President Trump — who had a meeting with FEMA officials yesterday — is tweeting about Florence’s southward projection.
Florence remains a category 4 storm with multiple threats developing for the US East Coast. Model guidance now indicates that the storm will likely turn south, and bring more impacts to South Carolina and parts of the Southeast
Trump urged people in Georgia to get ready for the storm (Note: No part of Georgia is currently under a hurricane watch or warning, according to the latest National Hurricane Center forecast, although the state is in a potential track area for later this week.)
Jeff Byard, FEMA’s associate administrator for its response and recovery office, warned of the danger of Hurricane Florence as the storm barrels toward the Carolinas.
Byard pleaded with residents to evacuate not only for their safety, but for the safety of first responders.
Steve Goldstein with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also says that with Florence’s slow movement, parts of coastal North and South Carolina could experience hurricane-force winds and hurricane conditions for 24 hours or more.
Once the storm moves inland, the threat of inland flooding increases, with 15 to 25 inches of rain forecast, and up to 40 inches near the exact center of Florence, Goldstein said.
As Hurricane Florence moves closer towards landfall, we’re getting new images from NOAA’s GOES satellite of its powerful eye wall.
Here’s what it looked like as the sun came up this morning:
Jeff Byard, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response and recovery office, urged residents in evacuation zones to follow those orders today.
Watch more:
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are warning that North and South Carolina could see a full day’s worth of hurricane conditions.
FEMA is holding a news conference in Washington, DC, ahead of Hurricane Florence. Here’s part of what the officials are saying:
“Florence is a large hurricane. Tropical storm-force winds extend 175 miles from the center, and hurricane-force winds now extend 70 miles from the center. The forecasts have trended just a bit slower, with Florence making land fall late Thursday or Friday in coastal North Carolina, though tropical storm-force winds will overspread this area well ahead of this during the day on Thursday. Now Florence may stall after it makes landfall, and then move very slowly south down the coast. This could mean that parts of North and South Carolina near the coast will experience hurricane-force winds and hurricane conditions for 24 hours or more.
Watch more:
The National Weather service just shared the latest satellite image of Florence, and warned people who may be affected: “Today is the last day to safely travel out of the area. Please heed any evacuation orders.”
It’s a big storm. Take a look at it:
We’ll have our eyes on a few key events scheduled throughout the day. From a 9:15 a.m. FEMA briefing in Washington to the North Carolina governor’s press briefing at 5 p.m., here’s the current outlook. (Note: This will surely be updated.)
More than 1 million people in coastal areas in North and South Carolina and Virginia faced mandatory evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Florence’s landfall on Friday. Emergency managers and mayors have warned residents about the danger the Category 4 storm poses.
But like in every hurricane, not everyone complies.
Here’s why some people in the path of a hurricane choose to disregard mandatory evacuation orders:
Hurricane Florence could send gasoline prices higher, particularly along the East Coast.
The hurricane could disrupt the operations of major pipelines that carry hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other products from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
“Motorists can expect spikes in pump prices to be brief, but possibly dramatic,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson.
The Colonial Pipeline is the main pipeline in Florence’s path. It carries 100 million gallons a day from the Houston area to Linden, NJ, outside of New York. The Plantation Pipeline runs along a similar path, carrying 700,000 gallons a day from Louisiana refineries to just outside Washington.
Update: A spokesman for the Colonial Pipeline said the flow of fuel has not yet been affected by a week’s worth of storm preparations.
“We are preparing for the eventuality of a disruption so that service can be quickly restored, but will have to see what Florence brings,” said spokesperson Steve Baker.
The National Hurricane Center just released its updated 8 a.m. forecast for Hurricane Florence.
Here’s what it looks like now:
How the predicted path has changed: Earlier today, computer models indicated the storm will slow as it approaches the Carolina coast. Model guidance now indicates that the storm will likely turn south, and bring more impacts to South Carolina and parts of the Southeast.
Landfall is looking like late Friday night to early Saturday morning.
The next National Hurricane Center forecast will drop at 11 a.m. ET. You can also track the hurricane with CNN’s storm tracker.
President Trump just tweeted a Rose Garden video. Today’s message: Hurricane preparedness.
“They say it’s about as big as they’ve seen,” he said of Hurricane Florence. “We’ll handle it. We’re ready, we’re able, we’ve got the finest people anywhere in the world.”
He warned residents to get out of the storm’s path: “Don’t play games with it, it’s a big one.”
Trump added, “We are fully prepared, food, medical everything you can imagine, we are ready, but despite that, bad things can happen when you’re talking about a storm this side. It’s called mother nature. You never know, but we know. We love you all, we want you safe, get out of the storm’s way.”
He concluded, “Be ready, and God be with you.”
Watch it:
There were a few overnight developments as Hurricane Florence continued its slow churn towards the Carolina coasts, and as more than 1 million people have been told to evacuate. The massive storm is expected to bring life-threatening surges and catastrophic flooding.
Here are a few things that happened while you slept:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday it delivered eight million meals and bottles of water to the Carolinas and Virginia in preparation for Hurricane Florence’s landfall.
Jeff Byard, associate administrator for FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, said they also had blankets, cots, tarps and generators ready to go for residents.
“They’re spread out amongst the three states, and we’ve got incident support bases already established, primarily at some of our military installations that are ready to go. But also the states have commodities on hand. We are there to supplement their efforts,” he said.
North Carolina’s Department of Transportation provided CNN with new photos that showed just how many people were fleeing the Outer Banks ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s barrier islands. The mandatory evacuation extends from the Virginia border to the South Carolina border.
Whether it was by highway, bridge or ferry, many people took notice of the warnings and fled the area for safety.
Carolina Beach will close Snow’s Cut Bridge – the only point of entry to the island – when winds reach 45 mph, Mayor Joe Benson said.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for Carolina Beach Monday. The deadline to evacuate ends at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Benson, the Carolina Beach mayor, said he believes half of the island’s residents did not evacuate Tuesday. Approximately 6,300 people live on the island.
He is hopeful that most of the residents will leave, but he thinks between 40 and 100 people might choose to ride out the storm.
The mayor said once the bridge closes no one will be able to leave or enter the town, so he’s urging people to leave before the winds ramp up Wednesday night.
The American Radio Relay League said it sent seven ham radio kits to South Carolina to assist with emergency communication ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The group used the same kits in Puerto Rico last September, when Hurricane Maria knocked out power to most of the island. Shortwave radio was key to communicating in Puerto Rico.
For more than a century, this group has served as a hub for amateurs licensed to operate the dependable, if archaic, medium known as ham radio and eager to pitch in when disaster strikes.
Here’s a look at the radio kit:
At least two South Carolina hospitals – Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital and Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital – started evacuating their patients ahead of Hurricane Florence.
In a statement, Tidelands Health said patients were being transferred to hospitals outside of the storm area.
Cindy Lemasters Parsons shot this video Monday evening of a fleet of ambulances driving with lights and sirens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Mike Goldberg took this video of a second convoy near Charleston, South Carolina:
A Shell gas station in Wilmington, North Carolina, ran out of fuel again Tuesday, as residents fled the area ahead of Hurricane Florence.
This is the second consecutive day the station has ran out of gas.
The business expects to refill its supplies overnight.
A satellite, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recorded this video of the eye of Hurricane Florence on Tuesday afternoon.
What we know about the storm: Tropical-storm-force winds are due to reach the coasts of North and South Carolina on Thursday morning, and hurricane-force winds may be felt around Thursday night, ahead of an anticipated Friday morning landfall.
Florence is one of the strongest hurricanes to churn toward the eastern seaboard in decades.
Shoppers emptied shelves at a Walmart in Wilmington, North Carolina, today, as residents brace for Hurricane Florence.
The store is working to prepare its wares, too.
Airbnb activated its “Open Homes” program Tuesday to allow its hosts to offer free temporary housing to Hurricane Florence evacuees and first responders.
Since Airbnb activated the program, more than 130 hosts offered housing to Hurricane Florence evacuees, emergency relief workers and volunteers.
For more details, check out Airbnb.
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning Tuesday for much of the South Carolina coast, and all the North Carolina coast.
The warning extends from north of Charleston, South Carolina, up the Virginia border. A storm surge warning also covers the same area.
This includes Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, the Outer Banks, and the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.
Winds increased to 140 mph, with even higher gusts.
Florence will likely remain a very dangerous and major hurricane through landfall, which is expected sometime Friday.
Here’s the latest hurricane forecast:
Ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, North Carolina, will shut down Wednesday in preparation for Hurricane Florence, according to Cmdr. Bion Stewart of the US Coast Guard Sector North Carolina.
Six hundred people with the Coast Guard sector are immediately available to assist with additional resources, and teams are ready to respond to shallow water rescues, he said.
Because their station in Wilmington is subject to flooding, they will move their incident post to Seymore Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. They started moving resources outside of the area a week ago in preparation for the storm, Stewart said.
Fresh water flooding is big concern inland, he said.
Traffic appeared light in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but the area’s congressman believes that’s because a mass exit has already taken place.
“They’re going to be on their own if they stay,” said South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice.
Still, more than half of the Myrtle Beach-area residents and visitors who spoke to CNN today said they were not planning to leave.
CNN witnessed plenty of empty store shelves, several small lines for gas and mostly calm residents.
But the warnings from officials remained dire.
“This is a storm as big or bigger than Hurricane Hugo, with potentiality a more catastrophic effect,” Rep. Rice said.
Brock Long, the top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, urged residents in the path of Hurricane Florence to heed all warnings.
The Category 4 storm, he said, is “setting out to be a devastating event.” Federal authorities are concerned about the storm surge, which he said has triggered evacuation orders.
Long added:
“I think the expectation needs to be set with the citizens in this area that if you have been asked to leave, get out of the areas that are going to flood and get into a facility that can with stand the winds. Let’s set the expectations as well. This has an opportunity of being a very devastating storm. The power will be off for weeks. You’re going to be displaced from your home in coastal areas. There will be flooding in the inland areas as well.”
Watch:
President Trump said Tuesday he expected Congress to approve funds for disaster relief following landfall of Hurricane Florence on the Atlantic coast.
He said the costs would not impede recovery efforts during or after the storm.
“I think that any amounts of money, whatever it takes, we’re going to do,” Trump said.
President Trump just had a meeting with Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials as Hurricane Florence continues to barrel toward the East Coast.
The President said the US is “ready as anybody has ever been” for the storm.
Trump added that this hurricane will be “a very large one, far larger than we’ve seen in perhaps decades.”
“Again, they haven’t seen anything like what’s coming at us in 25, 30 years. Maybe ever,” Trump said.
Watch more:
Hurricane Florence is a currently a Category 4 storm, but it may continue to fluctuate in intensity as it moves closer to landfall.
Here’s why categories matter: Meteorologists use the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to measure a hurricane’s strength.
The system divides storms into five categories:
This animation shows what each category of storm is like:
South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice is not sticking around for Hurricane Florence to make landfall.
The Republican lawmaker plans on leaving the evacuation zone because of the dangers the storm could bring. He’s hoping others will do the same.
“This is a massive, powerful, destructive, devastating beast and it is headed right at us,” Rice said, while speaking to CNN in Myrtle Beach.
Watch more:
Jim Darling and his parrot, Maximus, are planning to ride out the massive Category 4 storm, which is expected to hit the Carolinas Thursday.
“I’d rather just be at home, then stuck in a hotel somewhere,” he told CNN on Tuesday while he was out shopping for supplies in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
State and local authorities are urging residents to leave some coastal areas before the dangerous storm makes landfall.
Despite the warnings, Darling, who’s originally from Boston, said he faced worse storms in the past and was prepared to hunker down at his home. He stocked up on water, batteries, food and milk ahead of Hurricane Florence.
“I am not really worried about it. I won’t be calling anybody to help me out anyhow, I can take care of it myself,” he said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released an updated forecast for Hurricane Florence.
Parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia remain under a hurricane watch.
The next update will come at 5 p.m. ET. You can also track the hurricane with CNN’s storm tracker.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, while announcing mandatory evacuations for the state’s barrier islands, urged residents to heed the orders.
He continued: “The time to hope Hurricane Florence away is gone.”
Watch more:
Approximately 1,473,340 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, ahead of Hurricane Florence.
This does not include what are likely large tourist numbers as well.
Here’s a breakdown for each state:
Amtrak announced this morning that it would adjust its service schedule along the East Coast ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Three train lines canceled service between Wednesday and Sunday:
More trains are canceled for Thursday until Sunday:
More lines will have modified service. Some lines will only make certain stops, with many only operating north of Washington, DC.
Here’s the full breakdown from Amtrak:
Hurricane Florence is still offshore, but electric companies are already sending help to the states in its projected path.
Oklahoma Gas & Electric told CNN that some 79 line crew members and support personnel, in addition to 42 trucks, rolled out of Oklahoma City today and headed to Raleigh, North Carolina.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, speaking at a news conference Tuesday, said he has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s barrier islands.
The mandatory evacuation, he said, will extend from the Virginia border down to the South Carolina border. Ferry crews are assisting with the evacuations efforts.
Cooper also asked residents to gather supplies such as food, medication, flashlights, pet supplies and batteries. He added that they should be prepared to lose power for several days.
Cooper also asked residents to follow local evacuation orders already in place.
If Hurricane Florence hits the Carolinas, as it’s expected to do later this week, it will be only the eighth major hurricane to make landfall on the stretch of coastline from Savannah, Georgia, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Here’s a look at the seven other major hurricanes (that’s Category 3 and above storms) that have hit the region before:
President Trump stressed Tuesday the federal government is prepared for the Category 4 storm off the Atlantic coast.
“Everybody is ready,” Trump said, according to the pool.
“We are absolutely totally prepared,” he said.
What happened Monday: Trump received a briefing from Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long via phone.
Nielsen and Long will brief Trump again Tuesday in person at the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Monday.
The White House has been in contact with local authorities, Sanders said.
“Lines of communication remain open and the federal government stands ready to assist,” she said.
The hurricane has also impacted the President’s travel plans: His campaign canceled a campaign rally in Jackson, Mississippi, scheduled for Friday.
A Nashville-based pet rescue made a trip to South Carolina to save about 30 dogs and cats from shelters in the path of the hurricane.
A team at Big Fluffy Dog Rescue drove more than 20 hours to retrieve the animals at a shelter in Pawleys Island.
“We got back in at midnight. It was about 24 hours roundtrip, so not too bad. Luckily we had some awesome volunteers meet us at our kennel facility to help unload, walk, feed and settle all the fur kids in,” Tiffany Carol Fintel, a Nashville vet technician, told CNN.
Fintel added that Big Fluffy is not equipped for cats, but the founder of the rescue, Jean Harrison, has a “no animal left behind” policy so they picked up kittens too.
“When I arrived at the shelter to discover 15 cats, Jean said to load as many as we could fit,” Fintel said. “If there had been pigs or even a duck she would have told me to take them too lol. The cats are settling in and we have a few cat rescues stepping up to help with them.”
The Fort Sumter National Monument in Charleston, South Carolina, is closed until further notice due to the threat of Hurricane Florence, according to the National Park Service.
Park staff will evaluate when the Charleston Harbor site is safe to reopen.
The site hosted the opening battle of the American Civil War.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster says he has canceled the mandatory evacuation order for three counties, which were set to go into effect at 12:00 p.m. ET today.
McMaster said that based on the most recent projections, mandatory evacuations are no longer required for…
Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for the other five counties announced Monday: Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry Counties, according to McMaster.
Parts of South Carolina are under mandatory evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Florence. But not everyone is packing up and leaving the area.
CNN’s Nick Valencia spoke to some Myrtle Beach residents who have decided to stay.
Another said she was watching the forecasts, and said she’s ready to leave at the last minute if necessary.
Watch more:
The mayor of the nation’s capital declared a state emergency ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The storm is expected to make landfall farther south, near the Carolinas, but the District is still concerned about flooding, downed trees and power outages, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
“While we are monitoring potential impacts of Hurricane Florence on the District, we remain committed to keeping our residents safe, prepared, and informed,” Bowser said in a statement. “I encourage all District residents and visitors to take this storm seriously.”
The state of emergency declaration will stay in effect for 15 days. It implements response plans and allows officials to apply for financial assistance and disaster release.
Hurricane Florence is a large Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds.
Just how strong of a storm is it? Here’s a look at the facts and stats:
It was 3 a.m. when Kelley Shinn’s partner, Scott, woke everyone up in their Outer Banks home. The forecast was just too dangerous for them to stay.
“Pack what you love,” he said. “We’re leaving.”
So over the next two and a half hours, she grabbed important documents, some clothes and photos and packed her burgundy Jeep with as much as she could.
By the time the time the sun was rising, they were on a ferry to the mainland from Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.
“We’ve never left for a storm before,” Shinn told CNN. “But a storm surge of 20-feet could easily wipe this island out.”
The couple and their 12-year-old are heading to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to pick up their daughter en route to Akron, Ohio, where her father lives.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released its 11 a.m. forecast for Hurricane Florence.
It’s similar to the last advisory, which dropped at 8 a.m. ET. Parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia remain under a hurricane watches, and the storm is still a Category 4.
Here’s the updated projection. The next advisory will be released at 2 p.m. ET. You can also keep up with the hurricane with CNN’s storm tracker.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a popular destination for tourists. Two of them, who drove in from Indiana, were told to evacuate just as they got to town.
About 10 minutes before they reached the beach, they got a phone call saying the area would be evacuated. They stayed overnight — but they’re planning on leaving before the evacuation goes into effect at 12 p.m. ET today.
The two said they’ll head inland now, maybe to Tennessee.
“We’re just going to head west,” Sheri Hamilton said.
Watch more:
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said traffic out of the South Carolina city has more than quadrupled as residents and vistors evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence — but she wants even more people to leave the coast.
“We are seeing people leaving town. We have a four- to six-time increase of traffic heading out of Myrtle Beach, but it needs to be much more than that,” she told CNN.”
She continued: “We still have a lot of people who are not taking this seriously. And I cannot stress enough the importance of adhering to the governor’s orders for mandatory evacuation.”
Watch more:
The National Weather Service in Raleigh posted shared satellite images of the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise this morning.
While Hurricane Florence is the closest to the US East Coast two other named storms — tropical storm Isaac and Hurricane Helene — are also brewing.
Here’s what it all looks like:
Artist Randi O’Sullivan, her husband, Blake, and their dog, Bertha, evacuated their home in Rodanthe, North Carolina, this morning ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Before leaving, she painted the message “F off Flo!” on the plywood they used to board up their house.
O’Sullivan and her husband have lived there for almost 8 years, and they have never left for a hurricane — before today.
O’Sullivan said they are going to her mother’s home in Maryland.
Even though Hurricane Florence is still almost 1,000 miles away from the coast, tides are already running over a foot above normal in parts of North Carolina as the ocean begins to swell in advance of the storm.
This is even leading to some coastal flooding in extremely low-lying areas.
Daphne Rains took this video on Monday morning, just north of Rodanthe, North Carolina. Watch here:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center will release an updated forecast every three hours as Hurricane Florence nears the US.
You can expect them to drop at:
You can also follow Hurricane Florence with CNN’s storm tracker here.
Brenda Bethune, the mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, urged residents to follow evacuation orders as Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast.
More than 1 million people face mandatory evacuation orders in coastal areas of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
She said residents in her area should follow those orders as early as possible since there isn’t close access to a major highway.
“Another important piece is that we are evacuating over 1 million people. We don’t have an interstate and aren’t connected to one. That makes the evacuation process very slow. People must not wait to leave. And patience will be a must.”
The Cajun Navy, the famous volunteer rescue group that formed in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, is in Columbia, South Carolina, ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The group has been in touch with DHS, FEMA, and local agencies to assist in efforts in the region. They have access to at least two air boats and 600 Jeeps, according to Clyde Cain with the Cajun Navy.
The Cajun Navy has helped during a number of hurricanes, including Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas last year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center released an updated forecast for Hurricane Florence at 8 a.m. ET.
Parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia remain under hurricane watches.
Here’s the predicted path now:
South Carolina Department of Transportation closed I-26 eastbound between Columbia and Charleston at 5 a.m. ET this morning, according to the agency.
Parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia are under a hurricane watch, according to a 5 a.m. update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Here’s the latest projection from NOAA:
Mandatory evacuations will begin 8 a.m. ET Tuesday for residents in a portion of Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore, Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday.
The evacuation order will affect 245,000 residents, according to Jeff Stern, state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
Rapper J. Cole was scheduled to headline the music event on Saturday. The festival and J. Cole announced the cancelation on Twitter Monday evening.
J. Cole tweeted:
Festival organizers said in a statement they were monitoring storm and decided to cancel the event “for the ultimate safety of both the local citizens and festival attendees.”
“Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to make this event happen at a later time and we hope to share details regarding a possible new event date as soon as we possibly can,” the festival said.
Water and generators weren’t the only things people were lining up to buy in preparation for Hurricane Florence.
In Apex, North Carolina, cars were lining up to purchase gas at Costco.
“Not a parking lot,” Ashley Twichell told CNN. “Cars in line for gas.”
Watch:
Hurricane Florence continued to intensify Monday as it crawled toward the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The size of hurricane-force winds doubled over 12 hours from 30 to 60 mph, the center said in a statement. The wind field is expected to keep growing, which will increase the storm surge and inland wind threats, the center said.
“The bottom line is that there is high confidence that Florence will be a large and extremely dangerous hurricane, regardless of its exact intensity,” the NHC said.
As the major Hurricane Florence steams towards the US Eastern Seaboard, residents in its projected path are stocking up on supplies.
Those planning on hunkering down and riding out the storm are swarming stores and picking up supplies.
At the Home Depot in Wilmington, North Carolina, Billy Nivens told CNN they were out of water, plywood, generators, flashlights, propane, batteries and five-gallon gas cans.
Mackie Singletary, the store manager at Lowe’s in Lumberton, North Carolina, told CNN that since noon Sunday, they sold 204 generators. They completely sold out of generators Monday morning.
“We’ve got more on the way,” he told CNN.
And that’s not the only thing the store is stocking up on. Singletary said water trucks, plywood trucks and sand trucks are on their way to the store.
It’s not just the hardware stores being inundated either.
Big box and warehouse stores are also seeing their shelves cleaned out by residents preparing for the storm’s arrival.
Rachel Brinson of Chapel Hill said she was lucky because she already bought water over the weekend.
“Friends have told me most grocery stores in the area are either out of water now or will be shortly,” she told CNN. “We are monitoring the storm closely and making sure we have enough non-perishables for ourselves and food for our dog in case of severe flooding or power outages.”
She took this photo of nearly empty shelves at her Harris Teeter on Monday:
When Hurricane Fran tore through the Carolinas in 1996, Blaine Youngquist recalled it brought down more than 30 trees in his yard. Although he was only 6 years old then, he remembered the hurricane well.
“We aren’t taking any chances,” he said. “We stocked up on food and water last week before the stores got mobbed.”
At Thomas Gidlow’s local Target in Cary, North Carolina, water and bread shelves were nearly empty. The only thing left was a single Powerade.
So Gidlow turned to online retailers, like Amazon’s Prime Now, to stock up on supplies. But online supplies were low, too, and it appeared that sparkling and mineral water were the only options.
Note: This post has been updated.
Nearly 30 ships will leave Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek ahead of Hurricane Florence.
“Our ships can better weather storms of this magnitude when they are underway,” USFF Commander Adm. Christopher Grady said in a statement Saturday.
So, the US Navy is sending them out of the path of the storm and into safer areas of the Atlantic.
In this video, the USS McFaul and a submarine are shown heading out to sea.
Watch here:
Onshore, other Naval installations in the area are doing what they can to prepare for the impending storm.
According to a release by the US Navy, soldiers are working to secure objects that could get picked up by the storm’s winds, removing debris from drainage areas, sand bagging flood prone areas and topping off fuel in generators and government vehicles.
Photos released by the US Navy show the USS Nitze, the USNS Lewis and Clark, the USS Leyte Gulf, the USS James E. Williams, the USS Vella Gulf, the USS Gonzalez and the USS Gravely all leaving port.
A total of 1,600 members of the South Carolina National Guard are now activated as Hurricane Florence crawls towards the Carolinas.
In this photo, soldiers from the 118th Forward Support Company are transferring diesel fuel into tanker trucks. From there, they’ll head out for distribution to support civilian agencies.
Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order Monday declaring a state of emergency for Maryland ahead of Hurricane Florence.
“At this time, there is still some uncertainty about the track of this storm and its potential impact, but we are preparing for any possible outcome, including the potential for historic and catastrophic rainfall, life-threatening flooding, and high winds,” he said in a statement.
Hogan urged residents to take precautions and use common sense.
Preparations for Florence come as the Atlantic hurricane season hits its peak.
Two other storms in the Atlantic – Hurricanes Helene and Isaac – are not expected to hit the US mainland.
The hurricane season in the Atlantic will hit its peak Monday. Here’s what we know:
CNN meteorologist Gene Norman compared the conditions to boiling water on a stove, with the water taking a while to react to an increase and then decrease in the temperature of the element beneath it.
“Even though the season starts in June, the Earth is just beginning to warm up from the summer sun. By mid/late August, temperatures near their peak, like that pot on the stove starting to boil,” he said.
“However, just as it takes a while to heat the ocean, it also takes a while for the latent heat stored there to dissipate, like that pot on the stove. This is why there can be strong storms lingering into October.”
Government offices and schools in 26 South Carolina counties will be closed Tuesday because of the storm, Gov. Henry McMaster said at a news conference Monday.
Some schools will be used as evacuation shelters and school buses will be used to transport evacuees.
Schools and government offices in the following counties will be closed:
President Trump just tweeted about the intense storms that are brewing in the Atlantic Ocean.
He said his administration is monitoring the storms and are ready to assist.
“We encourage anyone in the path of these storms to prepare themselves and to heed the warnings of State and Local officials,” Trump tweeted.
Read his tweet:
He also shared a message to the residents of North and South Carolina: “We are here for you!”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, speaking at a news conference Monday, ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s entire 187-mile coastline beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The mandatory evacuation order extends to eight counties along South Carolina’s coast.
They are: Jasper, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Berkeley, Georgetown, and Ory counties.
Medical facilities, including nursing homes in those evacuation zones, will be evacuated as well, McMaster said.
McMaster estimates that approximately a million people will be evacuated from the coast beginning tomorrow.
President Trump will be briefed Monday by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and FEMA Administrator Brock Long ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Florence, White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders said.
Sanders said the White House has been in contact with governors’ offices and local authorities from states and territories, including the US Virgin Islands, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. She added that the “lines of communication remain open.”
She urged residents in areas that may be affected by the storm to follow warnings from local officials.
“These tropical storms and hurricanes are very dangerous and we encourage anyone in the path to heed the warnings of state and local officials who have the expertise and knowledge of their communities to provide the best on-ground information.”
Approximately 800 South Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen have been mobilized to prepare, respond and participate in recovery efforts associated with Hurricane Florence, according to a statement from the 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office.
The guard personnel are deploying from McEntire Joint National Guard Base near Columbia and heading to Bluffton, South Carolina, for assignment, according to the statement.
CNN affiliate WAVY reporter Kara Dixon took video at Naval Station Norfolk as Navy ships there left ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The video shows the U.S.S. Ramage departing.
On Monday, some 30 ships were ordered to leave Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. They’ll be heading to areas of the Atlantic out of the storm’s path.
“Our ships can better weather storms of this magnitude when they are underway,” US Fleet Forces Commander Adm. Christopher Grady said in a statement on Saturday.
Watch here:
American Airlines has issued a travel alert, including an alert for 23 airports in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, ahead of Hurricane Florence, according to a statement.
The airline has also issued a travel alert for 14 airports in nine countries and US territories ahead of Hurricane Isaac. Hurricane Olivia triggered an alert for two airports in Hawaii.
“This travel alert covers more than 30 airports — including our Charlotte hub,” the airline said
The alert allows customers to rebook without penalty, according to the carrier.
Hurricane Florence, which is currently a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, is forecast to strike the Carolinas as a major hurricane.
Here are some stats on past hurricanes to hit the area:
Hurricane Florence is on a very unusual track. In the last 24 hours, Florence has strengthened from a minimal Category 1 with 75 mph winds to a powerful Category 4 with 130 mph winds. That’s an increase of 55 mph in 24 hours. It has strengthened 40 mph in the last 13 hours, which no storm has done in the Atlantic in more than a decade.
Crowds formed at supermarkets on Sunday as people tried to stock up on supplies.
“Checkout lines @Costco in Charleston running all the way to the back of the store. Hurricane #florence for the win! #chswx,” Michael Livingston tweeted. “Wait was about 20 min - long but fast-moving. Prep is usual: foodstocks, fuel, cash, batteries, clean-up of property for high winds. Might buy a new board game or two. :)”
Erin Byrd checked in online from Publix in Apex, North Carolina.
“We don’t panic, which is why we are amused that water was so depleted a week out. We still have water supply from last year here,” she told CNN.
Alicia Buchanan posted on Instagram from Walmart in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
She just moved to the area two weeks ago from Northern Virginia and still doesn’t have her furniture.
“So, I’m prepping with some bottled water, a couple puzzle books, and making sure all my electronics and back-up batteries are charged,” she told CNN. “I plan to do most of my cooking on the grill.”
Crystal Kirwan and her family don’t have much of a choice as Hurricane Florence nears the coastal Carolinas. They need to evacuate their home in Moyock, North Carolina.
It’s not the wind they are most fearful of — it’s the rain. When Hurricane Matthew blew through the area in 2016, she says their neighborhood was badly flooded for a week after.
Some neighbors even had sewage back up into their homes.
“We just feel with two special needs kiddos we should not stick this one out,” she says.
The family will make the four and half-hour drive to family in Dover, Delaware, as soon as Kirwan’s husband, who’s in the military, is cleared from duty.
“Probably not too much better but most likely safer than here,” she says.
In the meantime, the Kirwans are preparing their yard, moving valuables into the garage and making sure fence posts are secured.
To try and lessen any potential flooding, they’re cleaning out their ditches. They also installed a new garage door seal to try and stop any water from coming in.
Florence has officially “rapidly intensified” into a Category 4 storm.
Just yesterday, as of 11 a.m. ET, the storm was a Category One with sustained winds of 75 mph – now it has sustained winds of 130 mph. This is a 55 mph increase in just the last 24 hours.
A storm undergoes rapid intensification when its maximum sustained winds increase at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less, according to the National Hurricane Center.
That’s a jump of about two categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which grades hurricane strength from 1 to 5.
While there isn’t much definitive data on rapid intensification, a few key atmospheric ingredients help it occur, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy explained. They’re the same conditions that often emerge in the Atlantic basin between August and October.
First: Ocean water needs to be warm – more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal – with that heat extending beneath the surface.
Then: Upper level winds must be calm so they don’t disrupt thunderstorm activity.
Finally: A storm’s internal conditions also must be just right. A hurricane needs a way to ventilate, much like a car engine, so it can continue to process all of the fuel from the warm ocean water and use it to strengthen the storm.
Rapid intensification is rare: Because all those pieces must be in place, rapid intensification is rare, with just one or two Atlantic storms per year undergoing such an acceleration.
That said, most storms that reach the highest categories, Cat 3, 4 and 5, reach these intensities through rapid intensification. Indeed, 70% of Atlantic storms that hit that mark do so through rapid intensification, according to a 2016 study published in Nature Communications.
Hurricane Florence grew Monday to a Category 4 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane was a Category 3 storm earlier Monday, but it strengthened to a Category 4 storm. The hurricane now has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.
Even further strengthening is possible over the next several days.
Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he has asked President Trump for a federal disaster declaration for the state ahead of Hurricane Florence.
The federal declaration would free up federal assistance and supplement state and local efforts in providing emergency response, Cooper says.
Gov. Cooper also says he spoke with FEMA Director Brock Long earlier on Monday.
He also said people in its path should prepare to be without power for a while.
“When it comes to utilities, families need to be ready,” Gov. Cooper said. “They need to prepare to be without power for a while, that’s why we’re urging people to have their emergency kits and prepare for this.”
Gov. Cooper foresees three separate threats from Hurricane Florence: an initial surge of ocean water along the coast, followed by strong winds, and ultimately, inland flooding. “North Carolina is taking Hurricane Florence seriously, and you should too,” Cooper said.
Cooper also expects other coastal communities to follow the lead of Dare County and issue mandatory evacuation orders for residents and visitors either Monday or Tuesday.
Astronaut Ricky Arnold, who is currently hurtling around Earth on the International Space Station, looked out his window this morning and saw Hurricane Florence spinning over the Atlantic.
A few moments later, he tweeted, Hurricanes Isaac and the outer bands of Helene were also visible. Follow him at @astro_ricky.
See the photos:
Florence now has maximum sustained winds of 115mph, and gusts to 140mph according to the National Hurricane Center.
This makes Florence a CAT 3, major hurricane, and further strengthening is forecast.
Florence is likely to be a direct threat to the U.S. East Coast late this week.
Hurricane Florence has its sights set on North and South Carolina, and if it hits as hard as predicted, the storm will be the most powerful to pound the area in three decades, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Monday.
“This storm gets stronger and stronger” and is on its way to a head-on impact on the Carolinas later this week, Myers said.
Water up to 15 feet high will strike the coast, and rainfall inland over the next four to five days could reach 20 inches in some locations, he said.
