Hurricane Florence inundates coastal North Carolina

First responders patrol the streets of New Bern, North Carolina on Friday morning, after the storm surge from Florence lefts as much as 10 feet of water in the community. (Global)

The center of hurricane Florence barely reached land Friday morning, slowly crossing the coast near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina at around 6am. The once category 4 hurricane had 90mph winds at landfall, with numerous reports of gusts exceeding 100mph. The big story with Florence so far has been the tremendous amount of water that has accompanied the storm inland. The coast was inundated with a 6 to 10 foot storm surge along with battering waves. Widespread damage was reported to homes and infrastructure, especially in and around Wilmington. Power is out to over 600,000 residents in southeast North Carolina. Power lines and trees were down, with sand and water blocking many coastal roads. At 2pm Florence had 75mph winds and was located 35miles west southwest of Wilmington.

The Atlantic Ocean pours across North Carolina Highway 12 near the Village of Hatteras on the Outer Banks, during hurricane Florence midday Wednesday. (NCDOT Photo)

Torrential rain continues to fall across the coastal plain, with over 600mm reported in Atlantic Beach in the last 24 hours. The heavy rain is forecast to continue as Florence crawls along the coast at 5mph (7km/h). Forecasters estimate as much as 1000mm (40 inches) of rain could fall across the extreme southeast portion of North Carolina and adjacent South Carolina. There is a real concern for fresh water flooding lasting weeks as all that rain makes it into the rivers and streams.

The storm surge on Pamlico Sound, pushed the Neuse River over it banks Thursday night flooding New Bern under several feet of water. First Responders were forced to carry out nearly 200 rescues, with hundreds more trapped in their cars and homes. They were assisted by the Cajun Navy, a group of volunteers with private boats who assist in water rescues. The Cajun Navy were made famous after their selfless work in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Florence is forecast to weaken while slowly drifting into South Carolina by Saturday. The forecast has the remains of Florence moving northward across the Appalachians and towards New York State by mid-week. Eastern Ontario and southern Quebec could possibly see strong winds and heavy rain from Florence by Wednesday. We will have to watch the system closely.