At least 14 people have died in North and South Carolina as a result of Florence, now a slow-moving tropical storm that continues to pound the states with heavy rains and catastrophic flooding.
The storm is moving at 2 mph across eastern South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center reported in its 8 p.m. update. The center of the storm is about 65 miles east-southeast of Columbia, S.C.
The sustained rains and wind from Florence, which made landfall on Friday morning as a category 1 hurricane, have caused "flash flooding and major river flooding ... over a significant portion of the Carolinas," the NHC said. Mandatory evacuations are in place for those living near the Cape Fear and Little Rivers in North Carolina, and several rivers in South Carolina are threatening to overflow.
"The flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it made landfall," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday.
The storm's maximum sustained winds are 45 mph, but the winds extend up to 150 miles from the storm's center with gusts of 59 mph being felt at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, according to the NHC. Florence is expected to continue its slow westward trek Saturday before turning northwest Sunday, the NHC said.
Parts of southern and central North Carolina and northeast South Carolina could see an additional 15 to 20 inches of rain which will "produce catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding," according to the NHC. Florence has already set a rainfall record in North Carolina.
The threat of inland flooding is now a danger to many communities in North Carolina. Many creeks and rivers far from the coast are experiencing flooding, according to the state's real-time flood map, and motorists are being asked to stay off the roads due to flood risks.
The "erratic" storm made landfall Friday morning near Wrightsville Beach.
