Are you affected by Hurricane Florence? When it's safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415
(CNN)Hurricane
Florence has made landfall in North Carolina, but its crawling pace and
overwhelming storm surges are setting up hours and hours of destruction
and human suffering -- with dozens desperately awaiting rescue in one
flooded town alone.
The
Category 1 hurricane, with wind of more than 90 mph and dumping 3
inches of rain an hour, made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET near Wrightsville
Beach, just east of Wilmington.
Florence's
center may linger for another whole day along coastal North and South
Carolina -- punishing homes with crushing winds and floods and
endangering those who've stayed behind.
In
the besieged North Carolina town of New Bern, rescuers plucked more
than 100 people from rising waters, but about 150 more had to wait when
conditions worsened and a storm surge reached 10 feet.
"In
a matter of seconds, my house was flooded up to the waist, and now it
is to the chest," said Peggy Perry, who along with three relatives, was
trapped early Friday in her New Bern home. "We are stuck in the attic."
Officials urged residents there to take shelter at the highest points of their homes, including rooftops.
Florence's
rain will reach 40 inches in some parts of the Carolina coasts, and
gusty winds will send the ocean and rivers spilling into neighborhoods,
forecasters said.
By Friday morning, Florence already had:
• Sapped power to nearly 437,000 customers in North and South Carolina, emergency officials said.
• Pushed in a storm surge of 10 feet above normal levels in Morehead City, North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
• Forced
more than 60 people to evacuate a hotel in Jacksonville, North
Carolina, after part of the roof collapsed, city officials said.
• Canceled more than 1,300 flights along the East Coast through Friday.
Hours
earlier, streets along the coast had been transformed into raging
streams, and massive waves surged along the Outer Banks.
"There's
already water (in the) bottom part of people's houses," Todd Willis,
who lives in Kennel Beach, North Carolina, said Thursday night. "This is
just the beginning."
Latest developments
• It's closing in: The eyewall is onshore in North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.
• Downgraded but dangerous: Though now a Category 1 storm, hurricane-force winds extend 80 miles from Florence's center, and it will linger for days, with prolonged winds and rain making it more dangerous.
• Ominous warning: "Don't
focus on the category of the storm. Hurricane Florence will slow down
as it approaches the coast and moves inland. This will cause extremely
dangerous flooding," the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned.
• Areas threatened: Hurricane warnings and storm surge warnings are in effect for South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, North Carolina.
• Location of Florence: By 7:35 a.m. Friday, the hurricane was about
5 miles (55 km) east of Wilmington and was crawling at 6 mph (9 kmh).
At 90 mph, its wind speed was dipping but still dangerous.
Rescues and narrow escapes
More than 1 million people had been ordered to evacuate before the streets became inundated.
Morehead
City resident Rebecca Marson decided not to evacuate because her
surgeon husband wanted to remain behind with other first responders.
They're riding out the storm at their home with four children -- ages 11
to 17 -- Marson's friend, four dogs, two chinchillas, a cat and a
lizard.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Both
lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South
Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Hide Caption
12 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Laura
Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and
dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk,
Virginia, on September 11.
Hide Caption
13 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A Costco employee attempts to direct traffic at gas pumps in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh on September 11.
Hide Caption
14 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Veronica
Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag
inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on
September 11.
Hide Caption
15 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Hide Caption
16 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence swirls in the Atlantic Ocean in this photo from the International Space Station on Monday, September 10.
Hide Caption
17 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Chuck
Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as
they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North
Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
18 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marcus
Thurston and his wife, Shenae, evacuate a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, as they cut their vacation short on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
19 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers board up the Wrightsville Beach Art Co. in North Carolina.
Hide Caption
20 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Larry Pierson buys bottled water at a grocery store in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
Hide Caption
21 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
Hide Caption
22 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Waves
crash around Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, as the
outer bands of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast on Thursday,
September 13.
Hide Caption
1 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Michael
Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats
after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street on
Thursday, September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
2 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on September 13.
Hide Caption
3 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Residents walk through streets flooded by the Neuse River on September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
4 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Hide Caption
5 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Hide Caption
6 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marge
Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation
from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September
12.
Hide Caption
7 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers
take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North
Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Hide Caption
8 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter
on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so
enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from
the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the
East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."
Hide Caption
9 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
10 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Hide Caption
11 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Both
lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South
Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Hide Caption
12 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Laura
Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and
dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk,
Virginia, on September 11.
Hide Caption
13 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A Costco employee attempts to direct traffic at gas pumps in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh on September 11.
Hide Caption
14 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Veronica
Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag
inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on
September 11.
Hide Caption
15 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Hide Caption
16 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence swirls in the Atlantic Ocean in this photo from the International Space Station on Monday, September 10.
Hide Caption
17 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Chuck
Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as
they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North
Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
18 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marcus
Thurston and his wife, Shenae, evacuate a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, as they cut their vacation short on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
19 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers board up the Wrightsville Beach Art Co. in North Carolina.
Hide Caption
20 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Larry Pierson buys bottled water at a grocery store in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
Hide Caption
21 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
Hide Caption
22 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Waves
crash around Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, as the
outer bands of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast on Thursday,
September 13.
Hide Caption
1 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Michael
Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats
after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street on
Thursday, September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
2 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on September 13.
Hide Caption
3 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Residents walk through streets flooded by the Neuse River on September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
4 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Hide Caption
5 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Hide Caption
6 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marge
Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation
from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September
12.
Hide Caption
7 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers
take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North
Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Hide Caption
8 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter
on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so
enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from
the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the
East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."
Hide Caption
9 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
10 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Hide Caption
11 of 22
Marson said they'd lost power and the winds were howling outside, but they had enough food and water to last them for days.
New
Bern's WCTI television employees fled their studio Thursday night due
to rising flood waters. Footage posted on social media showed a
meteorologist saying on air that they had to evacuate. He then leaves
the studio and leaves a radar of Florence's rain bands playing on a
loop.
In Jacksonville, North Carolina, city officials posted photos of toppled gas pumps and a downed trees early Friday, warning residents to take shelter and avoid roadways.
This computer model shows a variety of potential tracks for the hurricane, including potential landfalls.
Officials
in several states have declared states of emergency, including in the
Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still
recovering from summer storms.
Florence is one of four named storms in the Atlantic.
Updated 7:49 AM ET, Fri September 14, 2018
Are you affected by Hurricane Florence? When it's safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415
(CNN)Hurricane
Florence has made landfall in North Carolina, but its crawling pace and
overwhelming storm surges are setting up hours and hours of destruction
and human suffering -- with dozens desperately awaiting rescue in one
flooded town alone.
The
Category 1 hurricane, with wind of more than 90 mph and dumping 3
inches of rain an hour, made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET near Wrightsville
Beach, just east of Wilmington.
Florence's
center may linger for another whole day along coastal North and South
Carolina -- punishing homes with crushing winds and floods and
endangering those who've stayed behind.
In
the besieged North Carolina town of New Bern, rescuers plucked more
than 100 people from rising waters, but about 150 more had to wait when
conditions worsened and a storm surge reached 10 feet.
"In
a matter of seconds, my house was flooded up to the waist, and now it
is to the chest," said Peggy Perry, who along with three relatives, was
trapped early Friday in her New Bern home. "We are stuck in the attic."
Officials urged residents there to take shelter at the highest points of their homes, including rooftops.
Florence's
rain will reach 40 inches in some parts of the Carolina coasts, and
gusty winds will send the ocean and rivers spilling into neighborhoods,
forecasters said.
By Friday morning, Florence already had:
• Sapped power to nearly 437,000 customers in North and South Carolina, emergency officials said.
• Pushed in a storm surge of 10 feet above normal levels in Morehead City, North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
• Forced
more than 60 people to evacuate a hotel in Jacksonville, North
Carolina, after part of the roof collapsed, city officials said.
• Canceled more than 1,300 flights along the East Coast through Friday.
Hours
earlier, streets along the coast had been transformed into raging
streams, and massive waves surged along the Outer Banks.
"There's
already water (in the) bottom part of people's houses," Todd Willis,
who lives in Kennel Beach, North Carolina, said Thursday night. "This is
just the beginning."
Latest developments
• It's closing in: The eyewall is onshore in North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.
• Downgraded but dangerous: Though now a Category 1 storm, hurricane-force winds extend 80 miles from Florence's center, and it will linger for days, with prolonged winds and rain making it more dangerous.
• Ominous warning: "Don't
focus on the category of the storm. Hurricane Florence will slow down
as it approaches the coast and moves inland. This will cause extremely
dangerous flooding," the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned.
• Areas threatened: Hurricane warnings and storm surge warnings are in effect for South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, North Carolina.
• Location of Florence: By 7:35 a.m. Friday, the hurricane was about
5 miles (55 km) east of Wilmington and was crawling at 6 mph (9 kmh).
At 90 mph, its wind speed was dipping but still dangerous.
Rescues and narrow escapes
More than 1 million people had been ordered to evacuate before the streets became inundated.
Morehead
City resident Rebecca Marson decided not to evacuate because her
surgeon husband wanted to remain behind with other first responders.
They're riding out the storm at their home with four children -- ages 11
to 17 -- Marson's friend, four dogs, two chinchillas, a cat and a
lizard.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Both
lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South
Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Hide Caption
12 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Laura
Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and
dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk,
Virginia, on September 11.
Hide Caption
13 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A Costco employee attempts to direct traffic at gas pumps in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh on September 11.
Hide Caption
14 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Veronica
Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag
inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on
September 11.
Hide Caption
15 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Hide Caption
16 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence swirls in the Atlantic Ocean in this photo from the International Space Station on Monday, September 10.
Hide Caption
17 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Chuck
Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as
they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North
Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
18 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marcus
Thurston and his wife, Shenae, evacuate a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, as they cut their vacation short on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
19 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers board up the Wrightsville Beach Art Co. in North Carolina.
Hide Caption
20 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Larry Pierson buys bottled water at a grocery store in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
Hide Caption
21 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
Hide Caption
22 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Waves
crash around Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, as the
outer bands of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast on Thursday,
September 13.
Hide Caption
1 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Michael
Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats
after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street on
Thursday, September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
2 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on September 13.
Hide Caption
3 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Residents walk through streets flooded by the Neuse River on September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
4 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Hide Caption
5 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Hide Caption
6 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marge
Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation
from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September
12.
Hide Caption
7 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers
take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North
Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Hide Caption
8 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter
on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so
enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from
the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the
East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."
Hide Caption
9 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
10 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Hide Caption
11 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Both
lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South
Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Hide Caption
12 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Laura
Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and
dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk,
Virginia, on September 11.
Hide Caption
13 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A Costco employee attempts to direct traffic at gas pumps in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh on September 11.
Hide Caption
14 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Veronica
Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag
inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on
September 11.
Hide Caption
15 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Hide Caption
16 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence swirls in the Atlantic Ocean in this photo from the International Space Station on Monday, September 10.
Hide Caption
17 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Chuck
Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as
they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North
Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
18 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marcus
Thurston and his wife, Shenae, evacuate a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, as they cut their vacation short on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
19 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers board up the Wrightsville Beach Art Co. in North Carolina.
Hide Caption
20 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Larry Pierson buys bottled water at a grocery store in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
Hide Caption
21 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
Hide Caption
22 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Waves
crash around Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, as the
outer bands of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast on Thursday,
September 13.
Hide Caption
1 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Michael
Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats
after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street on
Thursday, September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
2 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on September 13.
Hide Caption
3 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Residents walk through streets flooded by the Neuse River on September 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.
Hide Caption
4 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Hide Caption
5 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Hide Caption
6 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marge
Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation
from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September
12.
Hide Caption
7 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers
take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North
Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Hide Caption
8 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter
on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so
enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from
the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the
East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."
Hide Caption
9 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Hide Caption
10 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Hide Caption
11 of 22
Marson said they'd lost power and the winds were howling outside, but they had enough food and water to last them for days.
New
Bern's WCTI television employees fled their studio Thursday night due
to rising flood waters. Footage posted on social media showed a
meteorologist saying on air that they had to evacuate. He then leaves
the studio and leaves a radar of Florence's rain bands playing on a
loop.
In Jacksonville, North Carolina, city officials posted photos of toppled gas pumps and a downed trees early Friday, warning residents to take shelter and avoid roadways.
This computer model shows a variety of potential tracks for the hurricane, including potential landfalls.
Officials
in several states have declared states of emergency, including in the
Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still
recovering from summer storms.
Florence is one of four named storms in the Atlantic.
The
Category 1 hurricane, with wind of more than 90 mph and dumping 3
inches of rain an hour, made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET near Wrightsville
Beach, just east of Wilmington.
Florence's
center may linger for another whole day along coastal North and South
Carolina -- punishing homes with crushing winds and floods and
endangering those who've stayed behind.
In
the besieged North Carolina town of New Bern, rescuers plucked more
than 100 people from rising waters, but about 150 more had to wait when
conditions worsened and a storm surge reached 10 feet.
"In
a matter of seconds, my house was flooded up to the waist, and now it
is to the chest," said Peggy Perry, who along with three relatives, was
trapped early Friday in her New Bern home. "We are stuck in the attic."
Officials urged residents there to take shelter at the highest points of their homes, including rooftops.
Florence's
rain will reach 40 inches in some parts of the Carolina coasts, and
gusty winds will send the ocean and rivers spilling into neighborhoods,
forecasters said.
By Friday morning, Florence already had:
• Sapped power to nearly 437,000 customers in North and South Carolina, emergency officials said.
• Pushed in a storm surge of 10 feet above normal levels in Morehead City, North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
• Forced
more than 60 people to evacuate a hotel in Jacksonville, North
Carolina, after part of the roof collapsed, city officials said.
• Canceled more than 1,300 flights along the East Coast through Friday.
Hours
earlier, streets along the coast had been transformed into raging
streams, and massive waves surged along the Outer Banks.
"There's
already water (in the) bottom part of people's houses," Todd Willis,
who lives in Kennel Beach, North Carolina, said Thursday night. "This is
just the beginning."
Latest developments
• It's closing in: The eyewall is onshore in North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.
• Downgraded but dangerous: Though now a Category 1 storm, hurricane-force winds extend 80 miles from Florence's center, and it will linger for days, with prolonged winds and rain making it more dangerous.
• Ominous warning: "Don't
focus on the category of the storm. Hurricane Florence will slow down
as it approaches the coast and moves inland. This will cause extremely
dangerous flooding," the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned.
• Areas threatened: Hurricane warnings and storm surge warnings are in effect for South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, North Carolina.
• Location of Florence: By 7:35 a.m. Friday, the hurricane was about
5 miles (55 km) east of Wilmington and was crawling at 6 mph (9 kmh).
At 90 mph, its wind speed was dipping but still dangerous.
Rescues and narrow escapes
More than 1 million people had been ordered to evacuate before the streets became inundated.
Morehead
City resident Rebecca Marson decided not to evacuate because her
surgeon husband wanted to remain behind with other first responders.
They're riding out the storm at their home with four children -- ages 11
to 17 -- Marson's friend, four dogs, two chinchillas, a cat and a
lizard.
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Both
lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South
Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Hide Caption
12 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Laura
Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and
dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk,
Virginia, on September 11.
Hide Caption
13 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A Costco employee attempts to direct traffic at gas pumps in Apex, North Carolina, near Raleigh on September 11.
Hide Caption
14 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Veronica
Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag
inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on
September 11.
Hide Caption
15 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Hide Caption
16 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence swirls in the Atlantic Ocean in this photo from the International Space Station on Monday, September 10.
Hide Caption
17 of 22
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Chuck
Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as
they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North
Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Marcus
Thurston and his wife, Shenae, evacuate a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, as they cut their vacation short on Tuesday, September 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Workers board up the Wrightsville Beach Art Co. in North Carolina.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Larry Pierson buys bottled water at a grocery store in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
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Are you affected by Hurricane Florence? When it's safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415
(CNN)Hurricane
Florence has made landfall in North Carolina, but its crawling pace and
overwhelming storm surges are setting up hours and hours of destruction
and human suffering -- with dozens desperately awaiting rescue in one
flooded town alone.
The Category 1 hurricane, with wind of more than 90 mph and dumping 3 inches of rain an hour, made landfal
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