Florence slams coast

Hurricane Florence left a major impact over the weekend, and the flooding is expected to continue in the Carolinas, Virginia and other states through the week. The National Weather Service said almost 34 inches of rain accumulated on the North Carolina coast from Thursday to Sunday. 

While Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday night, the danger level continued to rise. On Monday, Lynchburg-area news station WSET warned of 20 to 40 mph winds, flash flooding, river flooding and isolated tornadoes for the area. The weather is expected to calm down on Tuesday, and sunshine is expected for the end of the week.

CBS reported that, as of Monday, there are more than 700,000 homes and businesses without power in North and South Carolina. 

Wilmington, North Carolina, has been cut off from the rest of the state due to the rising floodwaters. The city of nearly 120,000 people will receive food and water by airlift, AP News reported. Over 2,000 people have been rescued from Wilmington, FOX news reported. 

The slow pace of the storm added to the danger, as it lingered in areas for long periods of time. The damage came not from the winds, but the massive amounts of water dumped in its path. North Carolina is expected to receive 9.6 trillion gallons of water in the state alone, the AP reported. The Weather Channel reported 23 deaths caused by Florence as of Monday — 17 in North Carolina and six in South Carolina. 

Various reports have the storm tracking north through Charlotte and western Virginia. By Tuesday it should be approaching Pennsylvania and then Maine by Wednesday and then out to sea by the end of
the week. 

Despite Florence’s path moving, caution is advised as flooding
continues.