{"id":103952,"date":"2018-09-16T07:06:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T11:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=103952"},"modified":"2018-09-16T07:06:47","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T11:06:47","slug":"florence-brings-catastrophic-flooding-unprecedented-rainfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=103952","title":{"rendered":"FLORENCE Brings Catastrophic Flooding—“Unprecedented rainfall!”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florence’s dangerous ‘flooding is only going to get worse,’ officials warn<\/h1>\n

CHRIS FRANCESCANI, MEGHAN KENEALLY and EMILY SHAPIRO
\nABC News<\/p>\n

Florence’s dangerous ‘flooding is only going to get worse,’ officials warn<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0abcnews.go.com<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Florence’s dangerous flooding “is only going to get worse,” North Carolina’s director of emergency management warned Saturday as massive amounts of rain devastate the state.<\/p>\n

“We have never seen flash flooding like this in our state,” state Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon added at a press conference Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Trogdon said flash flooding will last for several days and river and marine flooding could last up to a week.<\/p>\n

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PHOTO: An abandoned car’s hazard lights continue to flash as it sits submerged in rising flood waters during pre-dawn hours after Hurricane Florence struck in Wilmington, N.C., Sept. 15, 2018. (Jonathan Drake\/Reuters)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We just don’t want people to think this thing is over, because it’s not,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper added Saturday of Florence, which made landfall near Wrightsville Beach Friday morning as a\u00a0hurricane<\/a>\u00a0and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.<\/p>\n

“We know the water is rising fast everywhere — even in places that don’t typically flood,” Cooper said.<\/p>\n

(MORE: Florence by the numbers: From latest power outages to possible rain totals)<\/a><\/p>\n

Catastrophic flooding<\/h3>\n
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PHOTO: A man crosses a flooded street in downtown Wilmington, N.C., after Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Catastrophic flooding has already wreaked havoc on parts of eastern North Carolina, which sustained 2 feet of rain in some areas, and up to 40 inches in other hard-hit spots.<\/p>\n

Newport, North Carolina, reported 23.75 inches of rainfall by Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

Hoffman, North Carolina, has seen 19.96 inches and Conway, South Carolina, has seen 8.68 inches — with two days of rainfall to come.<\/p>\n

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PHOTO: The mast of a sunken boat sits at a dock at the Grand View Marina in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Winds and rains from Hurricane Florence caused the Neuse River to swell, swamping the coastal city. (AP)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At least 13 people\u00a0were reported dead<\/a>\u00a0in the storm, with three in South Carolina and the other 10 in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Among the fatalities are a mother and her baby killed in Wilmington, North Carolina, by a falling tree, and an 81-year-old man who fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate in Wayne County, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the storm’s victims Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

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Five deaths have been recorded thus far with regard to hurricane Florence! Deepest sympathies and warmth go out to the families and friends of the victims. May God be with them!<\/p>\n

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n