Flooded highways have cut off the city of Wilmington and are threatening water supplies in Lumberton, officials say. According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, there are about 1,000 road closures, and no safe way in or out of Wilmington. North Carolina Department of Transportation Portions of the I-95 could remain closed all week, said Corey Walters, deputy director of public works. It won’t reopen until the Lumber River, which crested to 25 feet yesterday, begins to drop. The North Carolina city of Lumberton, through which the I-95 runs, is working to pump out floodwater. If the water level is allowed to rise, it could flood the water treatment plant and cut off the entire city's water supply, Walters said. Officials are recommending that residents conserve water to prepare for a worst case scenario.<doc-sep>The rain may be particularly heavy in the mountains, where there is an elevated risk of flash flooding. Two to four inches of rain is likely to fall in this zone in a relatively short time, with isolated amounts over six inches. As some of these areas have seen much above-normal rain since the spring and waterways are full, river flooding is a significant concern.<doc-sep>The worst hurricanes to hit the Carolina coast 065106 02: A man stands in a partially destroyed house September 27, 1989 in South Carolina. Hugo is ranked as the eleventh most intense hurricane to strike the US this century and is rated the second costliest with over seven billion dollars in damages. (Photo by Alan Weiner/Liaison) See Hurricane Florence from space FROM EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT ALEXANDER GERST: Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you. #Horizons CLEARED: All platforms/affils COURTESY: Alexander Gerst/ESA PHOTOS: https://twitter.com/Astro_Alex/status/1039870760343543814 NS Slug: NC:FLORENCE-RIVER FLOODING REACHES WINDOWS (STRONG) Synopsis: Video of flooding from the Pungo River in Belhaven, NC, which has risen dramatically due to Hurricane Florence Video Shows: Video of flooding from the Pungo River in Belhaven, NC, which has risen dramatically due to Hurricane Florence Keywords: HURRICANE FLORENCE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES SEVERE WEATHER STORM John Berman: My mic cord just split in two Family braces for flooding after Florence Susan Bostic and her grandson Tyler evacuate her home in Rocky Point, NC. Trump asks about golf course area after flood President Donald Trump visits the Temple Baptist Church, where food and other supplies are being distributed during Hurricane Florence recovery efforts, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, in New Bern, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) See Florence's destruction in the Carolinas See inside the storm day by day Michael Nelson floats in a boat made from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street during Hurricane Florence September 13, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. Some parts of New Bern could be flooded with a possible 9-foot storm surge as the Category 2 hurricane approaches the United States. Time to evacuate running out as Florence nears Editor’s Note: Are you affected by Hurricane Florence? When it’s safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415 (CNN) — The rain turned sideways Thursday, rivers swelled and floodwaters began to fill streets, as massive Hurricane Florence trudged toward North Carolina. Florence is now a Category 1 storm with a 10-foot storm surge, according to the National Weather Service. The storm’s outer bands lashed towns on the barrier islands and on some of the Tar Heel State’s rivers, as the center of the cyclone moved to make a probable Friday landfall. In Morehead City, the rain and surf pounded the shoreline and took aim at the few boats still in the water. In New Bern, on the Neuse River, a CNN team had to keep shifting position in a park as the water kept rising until it was too dangerous to stay in the area. A weather station in Atlantic Beach recorded a total of 12.73 inches for a 24-hour period. Farther south, in Carolina Beach, the northern end of the town was being swamped as water crashed over the dunes. Some areas also saw the first of the hurricane-force winds. At Cape Lookout there were sustained winds of 83 mph and gusts of 106. “With this storm, it’s a (Category 1) but the storm surge and the flooding is going to be that of a category 4,” CNN Meteorologist Jennifer Gray said Thursday night. She said the momentum the storm has generated on its long trip across the Atlantic won’t go away just “because the winds decrease a couple miles an hour.” While wind speeds dropped Thursday, forecasters reminded people that what makes Florence extremely dangerous are the potentially deadly storm surges, the expected mammoth coastal flooding and historic rainfall. Florence is expected to go move slowly as it approaches North and South Carolina, whipping hurricane-force winds and dumping relentless rain at least through Saturday. “It’s not going to take much in a lot of these areas to saturate the soil, so trees are going to come down really easily” and knock down power lines, said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center. FOLLOW THE HURRICANE’S PATH Latest developments CNN • Florence is getting closer: As of 2 a.m. ET Friday, the center of Florence was about 35 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. The storm’s forward speed had slowed to 6 mph, and forecasters were concerned it might have stalled. • When is landfall? Florence’s center will approach the North and South Carolina coasts late Thursday and Friday. The actual landfall – when the center of the eye reaches land – will be Friday afternoon at the earliest, said Neil Jacobs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. • Widespread power outages: More than 102,000 homes and businesses are without power, the North Carolina Emergency Management agency said. • River rising: A gauge in the Neuse River near the town of Oriental indicated the water was 4 feet over flood stage and more than 5 feet above normal levels. • Many flights are canceled: More than 1,300 flights along the US East Coast have been canceled through Friday. Bookmark this simplified site if you’re in the storm’s path or have a weak phone connection Millions either flee or prepare for mayhem The tropical cyclone is expected to unload 10 trillion gallons of rainfall in North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said. That’s enough to fill more than 15 million Olympic-size swimming pools. In the North Carolina town of Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island, Rebecca Well Hooper shot video of the pier early Thursday afternoon. “There is some damage … but it is still standing strong. There is overwash but nothing we are not used to,” she said. Despite days of warnings to evacuate, some residents are staying put – even if they don’t want to. Cheryl Browning lives with her husband and son, who has terminal cancer, in Richlands, North Carolina. They also have three dogs and three parrots. Browning’s choice to stay in the hurricane warning zone wasn’t easy, she said, but she “could not find anywhere to go.”<doc-sep>Rain-swollen rivers won't stop rising in North Carolina. Several of them teetered at record levels Tuesday as officials warned of relentless flooding and hazards in areas already swamped by historic rainfall produced by former Hurricane Florence. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 on Friday before it was downgraded. Its remnants lingered along the East Coast days later, spawning deadly tornadoes in Virginia and dumping rain as far away as New York and in Massachusetts, where roads were flooded on Tuesday. In Fayetteville, about 100 miles from the North Carolina coast, the Cape Fear River was anticipated to crest by early Wednesday, reaching nearly 62 feet — about 4 feet higher than during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and close to double its flood-stage level. You can clearly see the water levels rising in Cape Fear River as we compare photos from Sunday to Today. #capefear #Florence #ReadyNC #ReadyFay pic.twitter.com/jiPUCVpLBP — Fayetteville Police (@FayettevillePD) September 18, 2018 The Cape Fear River is expected to remain at flood stage through the weekend, deluging Fayetteville, a city of 204,000 near the home of the Army base Fort Bragg. "Even though the heavy rains have ended, the flood hazard to life and property is real," city officials said in a statement Tuesday. "Do not become complacent." President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit storm-ravaged parts of North Carolina on Wednesday, the White House said. Trump turned the natural disaster into a political issue Tuesday, tweeting that Democrats "will start ranting" how federal emergency officials, the military and first responders are "not doing a good job." Local officials and the Coast Guard said they were focusing on rescues, which remain their "highest priority." A mile-long stretch of people living along the banks of the Cape Fear River was evacuated as a precaution. The Little River, a tributary of the Cape Fear, was expected to crest Tuesday at more than 35 feet — surpassing the record 32.2 feet and the flood level of 18 feet, officials in the town of Manchester said. More than 80 rescues have already occurred along the river in the past two days. Meanwhile in Lumberton, the Lumber River was projected to crest at 25 feet, remaining at a major flood stage through next week, reported NBC affiliate WRAL. A man paddles a kayak in a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, in Fayetteville, N.C., on Sept. 17, 2018. Gerald Herbert / AP At least 35 people have died, mostly in North Carolina, during Florence and its aftermath, officials said. The storm is now a post-tropical cyclone. "Days after Florence first hit our state, we continue to feel the effects of this massive storm," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement Tuesday. "Even though there is no substantial rain in the forecast and the sun may be shining across many parts of our state, rivers continue to rise and we will see more flooding." Even before the storm made landfall, forecasters warned that intense flooding rather than destruction from the winds would burden the region for the days and weeks ahead. With rivers at varying stages of rising and receding, whole communities have been cut off and highways have been awash in floodwaters. North Carolina Emergency Management said Tuesday that first responders have reported more than 4,000 rescues in the wake of the weather system. There were more than 1,100 road closures across the state. Soldiers from Fort Bragg were among those conducting high-water rescues. Helicopters were ready to assist in bringing much-needed supplies as well. While the skies were sunny Tuesday over North Carolina, waterlogged communities — from Wilmington to New Bern to Crusoe Island — grappled with the fallout from Florence. "In Lumberton, we watched the town start to flood out," Jason Murphy, a Coast Guard machinery technician, told NBC News. "Everywhere we go it'll be hit or miss. There'll be spots where it's high and dry and then that." More than 250,000 customers in North Carolina were still without electricity Tuesday evening, according to the state Department of Public Safety. The lack of power, food and fuel were still a concern in New Hanover County, where Wilmington is located. Woody White, chairman of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, said the Cape Fear River, which runs through the county, was expected to crest at record-breaking levels over the coming days. He said crews were scrambling to restore power and evacuees from towns where flooding has not been as harsh were being allowed to survey their properties Tuesday — although that didn't apply to Wilmington, where an overnight curfew remained in effect. "People want to get home, they want to see what's going on with their house and resume their normal lives," White said, adding, "Use your own common sense." Cooper, North Carolina's governor, inspected damaged areas and visited Wilmington Tuesday, and he said those who evacuated from New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties should stay put and not return to check on their homes yet. "The roads are still dangerous," he said, and there are only a few routes into those areas and they are being used by emergency and supply vehicles, and utility crews. "We know that we have a long road ahead," Cooper said. "It is a monumental disaster, and it affects a lot of our state," he said. Cooper said that rescue and other personnel or assistance was sent from 32 states, and he also praised volunteers and other organizations who have pitched in to help. NBA legend Michael Jordan — who went to the University of North Carolina and is the owner of the Charlotte Hornets — is donating $2 million to Florence relief and recovery efforts, he announced on Tuesday. Flood warnings affected areas with a population of more than 5 million people on Tuesday evening, according to data from the National Weather Service. The remnants of Florence produced a line of storms running from Washington, D.C., up through New England, including Boston. Parts of Massachusetts had received more than 2 inches by Tuesday afternoon, with New Salem getting neatly 4 inches, the weather service said.<doc-sep>
A series of photos of a rising North Carolina river over three days shows the historic scale of the flooding in parts of North Carolina – even as the storm formerly known as Hurricane Florence moves slowly out of the Carolinas. The Cape Fear River in Fayetteville was at 60.1 feet and still rising as of noon Tuesday. It’s projected to crest at 61.6 feet, which is far from the 1945 record of 68.9 feet, but higher than the 58.9 feet it reached after Hurricane Matthew, according to the National Weather Service. The Cape Fear River expected to spread to a width of up to 2 miles, with several thousand homes and business threatened. As the city of Fayetteville begins to flood, up to 150 homes will be threatened, according to the National Weather Service. The flood waters aren’t expected to recede to normal levels until late Friday – one week after the hurricane made landfall. The Cape Fear River is just one of several major rivers that are spilling over their banks after Hurricane Florence brought massive storm surge and record rainfall to North and South Carolina. More than 25 inches of rain fell on inland parts of North and South Carolina – deluging streams and rivers with vast amounts of water. Lumber River in Lumberton is also at a Major Flood Stage with 21.9 feet of water, breaking the previous record of 21.8 feet, the National Weather Service said. The floodwaters are inching closer to the local Pepsi plant and dozens of homes will be isolated and inundated. Several roads will be closed near the river. Flooding is expected to continue there for the next few days. As of Tuesday, the death toll from Florence was at 32 and rising, with 24 of those deaths taking place in North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Florence to a tropical depression, but warned that catastrophic flash fooding, river flooding and landslides are still expected in western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. On Sunday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned residents at a press conference to steer clear of flooded areas in the upcoming days. “Never drive through flooded roads. Just a few inches of water can wash your car away,” Cooper said. Last week Mike Doll, Senior Meteorologist at Accuweather, warned that residents near the Cape Fear River and other low-lying areas next to streams, creeks and rivers, should prepare for river flooding. “Once the last drops of rain [have] occurred doesn’t mean problems are over,” he said. “People that live in flood-prone areas near creeks and rivers need to be prepared. Even after the rain has ended, residents should still pay attention.” Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.