Natural Disasters

Tropical storm Florence kills at least 13; disaster declared in North Carolina

The storm has already brought over 60cm of rain in some towns

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Sunday 16 September 2018
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A day after tropical storm Florence made a landfall in North and South Carolina as a hurricane, torrential and relentless rain led to flooding parts of the Carolinas. It has already left 13 people dead. The storm, which has already brought over 2ft (60cm) of rain in some towns, is expected to bring more rain. According to forecasters, the storm is likely to bring 3.5ft (1m) of rain in total.

According to the latest update by the National Hurricane Center, “Florence is likely to weaken to a depression very soon but flash flooding and major river flooding continuing over a significant portion of the Carolinas.”

 Potential of flash flooding. Credit: NOAA

While Florence's top sustained winds weakened to 45mph (72kmph), it is likely to bring further flash flooding.

So far, about a million households have lost power supply in the Carolinas. The riverside town of New Bern has been the worst hit.

The US President Donald Trump has declared disaster in eight counties in North Carolina, which will help free up federal funding for recovery efforts.

The storm is 350 miles (560 km) wide and has travelled 4,000 miles from west Africa.

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