Update: At least 15 dead due to Tropical Storm Florence
Posted By: Channel 8 Eyewitness News
8@klkntv.com
Florence weakened to a tropical depression Sunday, but that is cold comfort to residents in North Carolina who have seen over 2 feet of rain and are now battling major-river flooding and possible tornadoes.
"Flood waters are still raging across parts of our state, and the risk to life is rising with the angry waters," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a midday news conference. He added that "this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now" in certain areas of the state.
Some parts of the state were getting 2 to 3 inches an hour, Cooper said.
"That’s enough to cause flooding in areas that have never flooded before until now," Cooper said.
Since the storm made landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina on Friday morning, it has been blamed for 15 deaths.
Hundreds of people have been rescued by local authorities, Cajun Navy volunteers and the U.S. Coast Guard since Friday morning.
New evacuation orders were issued Sunday for a mile-long area along the Cape Fear and Little rivers in North Carolina. More than 700,000 households and businesses in the state were still without power as of Sunday afternoon, an estimated 15,000 people were in shelters, and 171 primary roads were closed including parts of two interstates, authorities said.
The state Highway Patrol advised people to stay off the roads, saying troopers responded to 48 collisions from Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Adding to the threat of further flooding, a tornado watch is in effect until at least 5:30 p.m. on Sunday for the areas of Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville, Oak Island, and Florence.
"It’s bad right now, and we do expect it to get worse over the coming days," Michael Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management, said on ABC’s "This Week" Sunday. "We know that’s going to be a major mission going forward because this is historic and unprecedented flooding."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/major-river-flooding-threat-posed-florence-heavy-rain/story?id=57857204
