Energy

Hundreds Are Stranded And At Least 18 Dead As Florence Continues To Rage

Reuters

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Tim Pearce Energy Reporter
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Hurricane Florence has claimed at least 18 lives and stranded hundreds of people throughout North Carolina and South Carolina, according to CNN.

Florence is expected to drop rain on North Carolina for a few more days. Travel throughout the eastern part of the state is nearly impossible without a boat. State transportation officials are warning citizens to stay put rather than risk traveling over flooded roads and highways. The city of Wilmington — near where Florence first made landfall in the U.S. — is effectively cut off from the outside, according to CNN. (RELATED: First Deaths Reported From Hurricane Florence After Tree Falls On South Carolina Family’s Home)

North Carolina rainfall totals could equal 40 inches or more after Florence is over with. The added precipitation raises the risk of more severe flooding and landslides, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“This storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now,” North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Sunday, according to WSJ. “Floodwaters are still raging across parts of our state, and the risk to life is rising with the angry waters.”

Two children were reported dead Sunday. A 3-month-old died after wind blew a tree down onto the mobile home he was in. A 1-year-old was lost in flood waters after the vehicle his mother was driving was swept off the road. His mother managed to free herself and the toddler but lost him shortly after. Attempts to locate the child have been unsuccessful.

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