Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on Friday at around 7:30 a.m. EST as a Category 1 storm. East coast residents in the storm’s path are bracing for days of flooding and extreme damage to property. Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a strict warning to residents regarding Florence: “Don’t bet your life on riding out a monster.”
**Follow all of the events on the Breitbart News Live Wire below. All times in eastern.**
12:40 PM: Photos and video shared on social media show large trees have toppled onto homes and commercial buildings in Wilmington, North Carolina. The town’s Mayor told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that he’s “never seen a storm like Florence due to the duration and amount of rain forecast.”
This is what a homeowner in #Wilmington is facing. He says his entire neighborhood looks like this and @HurricaneFlorence is not done yet. #abc11 #WilmingtonNC #florencehurricane pic.twitter.com/eKy1lhBmJT
— Diane Wilson (@DWilsonABC11) September 14, 2018
We’re getting a little bit of relief at my location in Wilmington, NC – rain let up a little but wind still strong. Expecting weather to get worse again #Florence pic.twitter.com/keeTH0m5ny
— Lauren Blanchard (@LaurenBlanch12) September 14, 2018
#HurricanFlorence has caused trees to come down in #Wilmington, North Carolina.
Photo Credit: CBSNews Correspondent @jimkrasulacbs pic.twitter.com/SDHfsyaRiG— CBS News Radio (@CBSNewsRadio) September 14, 2018
El huracán Florence arrancó árboles de raíz en el centro histórico de Wilmington. #Florence pic.twitter.com/t4S9yYVzrJ
— Silvia (@ssalga1) September 14, 2018
Wilmington, North Carolina, nachdem #HurricaneFlorence auf Land getroffen ist. Schäden: vor allem entwurzelte Bäume, Stromleitungen kaputt. Bisher keine Berichte über Verletzte. @welt pic.twitter.com/gaE2ogGuNb
— Steffen Schwarzkopf (@S_Schwarzkopf) September 14, 2018
12:34 PM: According to the Associated Press, North Carolina officials say parts of the state could experience a once-in-a-millennia flood as Hurricane Florence dumps rain for days to come. Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday that Florence is “wreaking havoc” and he’s concerned “whole communities” could be wiped away.
He said parts of the state have seen storm surges as high as 10 feet. Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon said the state is expecting 1,000-year “flood events” in areas between Wilmington and Charlotte. Cooper said the state hasn’t seen any Florence-related fatalities so far, but he’s concerned about people’s safety as the storm continues.
12:23 PM: The National Weather Service confirms the total inches of rain various North Carolina towns have received since Florence’s landfall.
Rainfall Reports Confirmed by NWS:
18.53 inches Oriental, NC
14.07 inches Surf City, NC
13.81 inches WFO Morehead City, NC
13.07 inches Jacksonville, NC— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) September 14, 2018
12:18 AM: BBC journalist Paul Blake reports Morehead City, North Carolina is currently experiencing “surge flooding.” Photos shared by Duke Energy Corporate Communications Sally Thelen show various buildings have suffered extreme damage.
Morehead City, NC decimated by #HurricaneFlorence with @DukeEnergy experts doing damage assessments—saying it’s the worst they’ve seen. Flooded areas will make accessing our equipment extremely difficult. Stay safe, stay informed. pic.twitter.com/RXlRLDlAU6
— Sally Thelen (@DE_SallyT) September 14, 2018
This is how the iconic Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant is looking this morning in Morehead City, NC after #HurricaneFlorence2018 pic.twitter.com/a1fRJPuU3k
— Sally Thelen (@DE_SallyT) September 14, 2018
Storm surge flooding in Morehead City, NC. Happening right now. #HurricaneFlorence @BBCWorld pic.twitter.com/w3zuJPhS0v
— Paul Blake (@PaulNBlake) September 14, 2018
Storm surge flooding in Morehead City, NC right now. #HurricaneFlorence pic.twitter.com/pCHfytKlyy
— Paul Blake (@PaulNBlake) September 14, 2018
11:37 AM: The Associated Press reports Hurricane Florence lumbered ashore in North Carolina with howling 90 mph winds and terrifying storm surge early Friday, ripping apart buildings and knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses as it settled in for what could be a long and extraordinarily destructive drenching.
More than 60 people had to be pulled from a collapsing motel at the height of the storm. Hundreds more had to be rescued elsewhere from rising waters, and others could only hold out hope someone would come for them.
“WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU,” the city of New Bern tweeted around 2 a.m. “You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU.”
More ominously, forecasters said the onslaught on the coast would last for hours and hours because Florence had come almost to a dead halt at just 3 mph (6 kph) as of midday.
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