Hurricane Florence is Picking Up in the Carolinas, Causing Multiple Deaths

Words by Andre Kettle

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Florence was “slowly weakening,” though it still threatened “catastrophic flooding” over the Carolinas.

This storm is vicious and has been going on for a few days now. The continuous and relentless rain is flooding parts of the Carolinas and is expected to keep going for the next couple of days, officials said Saturday.

Multiple people were killed since Friday morning after the storm came ashore ripping apart roofs and with intense winds, threatening massive storms surges and needing multiple water rescues.

A 61-year-old woman, who is still unidentified, was reported as the first death in South Carolina according to South Carolina Highway Patrol Captain Kelley Hughs. The woman died Friday night driving into a tree in Union County.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on Saturday morning that five deaths were storm-related, but several others were being investigated.

There was a mandatory evacuation that has been put in place for people who lives within a mile of the banks of North Carolina’s Cape Fear River and Little River. Officials from Cumberland County, Fayetteville, and the town of Wade issued the order early Saturday afternoon, saying the residents there are facing “immediate danger” from the floods and are expected to arrive soon. Residents are being asked to leave immediately.

A mother and her 8-month-old child have died in Wilmington when a tree fell on their home, police says. Another woman died in Pender County after suffering a medical condition, and another two deaths occurred in Lenoir County. On Saturday officials have confirmed an additional two more deaths in Carteret County.

President Donald Trump declared a “major disaster” in North and South Carolina Saturday, opening up federal funds for the state to use as it recovers from the storm.

Trump plans to visit areas affected by Hurricane Florence in the middle of next week, once things start to clear up, once it is clear that the trip would not disrupt rescue and recovery efforts, a White House spokesperson said.

More than 772,000 people in North Carolina were without power as of 11 a.m. ET Saturday.