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Hurricane Florence knocks out power for more than 400,000 people in North Carolina

By Namrata Tripathi
Updated On : 05:48 PST, Sep 14, 2018
Hurricane Florence knocks out power for more than 400,000 people in North Carolina

Several parts of North Carolina and South Carolina were flooded even before Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina on Friday morning.

The rains before the storm turned sideways on Thursday, causing rivers to swell up and floodwaters soon filled the streets. 

The National Weather Service said that despite Florence being downgraded to a Category 1 storm, it is expected to cause a 10-foot storm surge, with "catastrophic" flooding expected over parts of the Carolinas. The hurricane, as it reached toward the US east coast, has already left hundreds of thousands of residents without power, according to reports.

More than 400,000 people are without power in North Carolina, according to authorities. The top counties affected are Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Onslow and Pamlico.

Residents walk in flooded streets as the Neuse River floods its banks during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.
Residents walk in flooded streets as the Neuse River floods its banks during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.

"With this storm, it's a (Category 1) but the storm surge and the flooding is going to be that of a category 4," CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray said on Thursday night, adding that the momentum which the storm has generated while crossing the Atlantic will not go away just because "the winds decrease a couple miles an hour."

Weather forecasters reminded residents of the affected states on Thursday that even though the winds speeds have dropped, what makes Hurricane Florence very dangerous is its potential to cause storm surges, which will result in historic rainfall and heavy flooding in the coastal regions.

Portions of a boat dock and boardwalk are destroyed by powerful wind and waves as Hurricane Florence arrives September 13, 2018 in Atlantic Beach, United States. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.
Portions of a boat dock and boardwalk are destroyed by powerful wind and waves as Hurricane Florence arrives September 13, 2018 in Atlantic Beach, United States. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.

Reports state that Florence after making landfall will whip hurricane-force winds while dumping relentless rains through Saturday at least.

The director of the National Hurricane Center, Ken Graham, said: "It's not going to take much in a lot of these areas to saturate the soil, so trees are going to come down really easily" which will result in knocking down of power lines.

A sign warns people away from Union Point Park after is was flooded by the Neuse River during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.
A sign warns people away from Union Point Park after is was flooded by the Neuse River during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in both the states earlier this week and a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator said that the impending hurricane could inflict "massive damage to our country."

The storm's outer bands lashed towns on the barrier islands on Thursday night as the eye of the storm approached landfall. A weather station in Atlantic Beach recorded a total of 12.73 inches for a 24-hour period on Thursday.  

Residents wade through deep floodwater to retrieve belongings from the Trent Court public housing apartments after the Neuse River went over its banks during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, United States. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.
Residents wade through deep floodwater to retrieve belongings from the Trent Court public housing apartments after the Neuse River went over its banks during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, United States. Coastal cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States.

City officials stated that over 60 people had to evacuate a hotel in Jacksonville, North Carolina had to evacuate after a part of the roof collapsed because of heavy rains and storm.

 

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 Hurricane Florence starts flooding parts of the Carolinas as hundreds of thousands left without power

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