Hurricane Florence Hits NC/SC Coast Today

[Mystic Wanderer]

Update:  Not much damage from wind, but the slow-moving system is causing some big problems with flooding.

• Some 200 people were rescued from flood-marooned homes overnight in New Bern, the mayor, Dana Outlaw, said. Another 150 were in need of rescue on Friday morning.


• About 60 people were evacuated from a hotel in Jacksonville, N.C., local news media reported, after the storm’s strong winds threatened the structural integrity of the building.
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• The storm surge had reached seven feet on Emerald Isle, N.C., and could climb as high as 11 feet elsewhere. A high tide around noon Friday could exacerbate the surge. Rainfall of up to 40 inches is expected to bring widespread inland flooding.

• More than 400,000 people have lost power in North Carolina, while officials in Onslow County [url=https://twitter.com/OnslowPIO/status/1040450268981284864]reported “major structural damage to homes, businesses and institutions” by midnight Friday.

• Florence is proving to be a lumbering giant, crawling along the coastline as it dumps rain across the Carolinas. Anxiety is high in towns as far inland as Greenville, N.C., where residents braced for the one-two punch of rain and storm surge. Read more about the expected floods here.

• More than 4,500 people had checked into shelters in South Carolina, and the authorities said they had space for more than 34,000 across 64 shelters. North Carolina had opened 126 shelters for about 12,000 people, and is trying to open more.

Read more, see projected map, and watch a video here:  Source Article