Hurricane Florence live updates: Death toll reaches eight in Carolinas as danger from flash flooding soars

Officials say the most dangerous part of the storm could be yet to come

Hurricane Florence flood on North Carolina coast in US

Eight people, including a mother and her infant child, have died in the Carolinas from the deadly effects of Hurricane Florence.

The powerful storm flattened trees, buckled buildings and knocked out power to nearly 930,000 homes and businesses as it battered the southeast coast of the US.

It made landfall on Friday with a life-threatening storm surge pushing water inland for miles and more than 60 people had to be pulled from a collapsing motel.

Nearly 400 people had to be rescued from their flooded homes in New Bern, North Carolina, after they decided to try and see out the wind and rain.

Governor Roy Cooper called Florence an "uninvited brute" that could wipe out entire communities as it grinds its way across land.

"The fact is this storm is deadly and we know we are days away from an ending," he said.

Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm with winds of 60 mph (95 kph) as it slowly moved west.

The first known deaths related to the storm were a mother and her infant child who were killed when a tree fell on their house in Wilmington, North Carolina.

In Lenoir County a 78-year-old man was electrocuted and a 77-year-old man was found dead after he went outside to check on his dogs.

A woman also died of a suspected heart attack in Pender county. Although it was not directly related to Florence, emergency services were blocked from attending by storm damage. On Saturday, a further three deaths were confirmed. According to Duplin County Sherriff Blake Wallace, two of the deaths happened outside of Kenansville, while the third happened in Kornegay.

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Experts had warned the effects of the hurricane could be devastating.

“This is a horrific nightmare storm from a meteorological perspective,” University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said. “We’ve just never seen anything like this. This is just a strange bird.”

The Duke Energy company estimated that between 1 million and 3 million homes could be without power in the wake of the hurricane.

Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Twitter on Wednesday, telling Americans to evacuate and not to “play games with” Florence. “It’s a big one, maybe as big as they’ve seen, and tremendous amounts of water,” he added in a video posted to Twitter.

He claimed federal authorities were “fully prepared” for the hurricane, saying: “The storm will come, it will go, we want everybody to be safe. We’re fully prepared, food, medical, everything you can imagine, we are ready.

“But despite that, bad things can happen when you’re talking about a storm this size. It’s called Mother Nature, you never know. But we know, we love you all, we want you safe, get out of the storm’s way, listen to your local representatives.”

It came just days after an official report criticised the US government’s handling of the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the US territory where some 3,000 people were killed last autumn.

Key Points

• Storm makes landfall with winds up to 90 mph
• 400 people rescued from flooded homes in New Bern, North Carolina
• Among the places people have driven to to escape the hurricane - Disney World, Florida
• A number of animals, including dolphins, have been spotted in the storm surges 
• Apple donates $1m to Red Cross to help those affected

[14 September 2018 19:15 · Kristin Hugo]

Flights have been canceled at several airports in the Southeast as a result of Hurricane Florence, according to the Associated Press.

Airlines had canceled more than 2,100 US flights by noon on Friday, with the two largest airports in North Carolina reporting more than 200 cancellations between them. 

Charleston International Airport in South Carolina was completely closed, and wasn't expected to reopen until Monday night. Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina was expected to reopen at noon Saturday. 

[14 September 2018 19:30 · Kristin Hugo]

Full highways are now under water in North Carolina as a result of Florence's unrelenting rains. More than 14 inches of rain had already fallen in many areas across southeastern North Carolina by noon on Friday, and the NHC warned of "disastrous" flooding that could spread inland over the weekend.

"It cannot be emphasized enough that another serious hazard associated with slow-moving Florence is and will be extremely heavy rainfall," the hurricane centre wrote in its 11am report.

[14 September 2018 19:45 · Kristin Hugo]

A North Carolina meteorologist was forced to evacuate mid-broadcast on Thursday, when the station's offices began to flood.

The majority of the staff had already evacuated, but two meteorologists stayed behind to continue their hurricane coverage. But in the middle of an evening broadcast, meteorologist Donnie Cox announced that their sister station would be taking over coverage. Then he abruptly walked off screen. 

“Little rough, but we’re all out,” the station tweeted around 9 pm on Thursday.

Check out footage of the incident below.

[14 September 2018 20:00 · Kristin Hugo]

  ↵Winds from Hurricane Florence have reached Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as the storm continues traveling westward. The storm was approximately 35 miles away as of 1pm local time, according to the NHC.

Local news outlets reported winds of up to 50 mph at the popular tourist destination, where county officials had deployed military-style vehicles to patrol streets and assist citizens. Several residents visited the beach that morning to get a last glimpse of the stormy skyline.

“I think we’re getting a moderate of damage,” one resident told Myrtle Beach Online. “It’s not going to be anything too bad.”

[14 September 2018 20:00 · Kristin Hugo]

The first two fatalities of Hurricane Florence have been confirmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. A mother and infant were killed when a tree fell on their house, the Wilmington Police Department reported. The father was transported to a local hospital with injuries.

[14 September 2018 20:15 · Kristin Hugo]

More than half a million power outages have been reported in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Florence, according to data from poweroutage.us. Several thousand were also without power in South Carolina.

Duke Energy, which provides much of the power to the region, has estimated that 1 to 3m people could lose power in the storm – and many could remain without power for weeks.

“We anticipate Hurricane Florence to be a historic storm that will impact all customers,” said Duke spokesperson Grace Rountree said, according to Reuters.

[14 September 2018 20:30 · Kristin Hugo]

Basketball star Michael Jordan, the Charlotte Hornets basketball team, and the NBA, are working with community organizations to provide relief and support to those affected by the hurricane. The team is soliciting donations through a microsite.

“It’s truly devastating for me to see the damage that Hurricane Florence is doing to my beloved home state of North Carolina and to the surrounding areas,” Mr Jordan said in a statement.

He added: “The recovery effort will be massive, and it will take a long time to repair the damage and for families to get back on their feet."

[14 September 2018 20:45 · Kristin Hugo]

Firefighters in Wilmington, North Carolina have stopped to pray for the first confirmed fatalities of Hurricane Florence. A mother and her infant were killed in the port city after a tree fell on their house, local police said.

[14 September 2018 21:00 · Kristin Hugo]

Two more fatalities have been confirmed as a result of Hurricane Florence, bringing the total to four. 

Officials in Pender County, North Carolina said that a woman died on Friday morning of a heart attack. Emergency crews were unable to reach her in time due to downed trees in the road, according to locals news reports.

A fourth person died in Lenoir County, North Carolina while plugging in a generator, according to the office of Governor Roy Cooper.

[14 September 2018 21:15 · Kristin Hugo]

Donald Trump is expected to visit areas affected by Hurricane Florence early next week, "once it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts," according to the White House.

Mr Trump last year visited areas affected by Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria.