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Editor’s Note: Are you affected by Tropical Storm Florence? When it’s safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: 347-322-0415
CNN
—
Tropical Storm Florence’s relentless rain is flooding parts of the Carolinas and promises even more for days, officials said Saturday, a day after it landed as a hurricane and left at least 13 people dead – including a baby.
The issues prompted North Carolina to tell drivers coming down Interstate 95 from Virginia to go around – the entire state. The state wants motorists to go west to Tennessee and take Interstate 75 into Georgia.
“The one thing I want to prevent is thousands of people stranded on our interstates or US routes,” said state Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdan.
A 73-mile stretch of the highway closed Saturday because of flooding and an accident involving a tractor-trailer.
Officials warned the flooding was only just starting.
“The flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it … made landfall 24 hours ago,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday morning. “We face walls of water at our coasts, along our rivers, across our farmland, in our cities and in our towns.”
The storm’s center is crawling over South Carolina, but many of its main rain bands still are over already-saturated North Carolina – setting up what may be days of flooding for some communities.
Serious flooding is expected throughout the two states, and some rivers may not crest for another three to five days.
Florence crashed ashore Friday morning in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane, and it has wiped out power to about 796,000 customers in that state and South Carolina.
It has trapped people in flooded homes, with citizen swift-water rescue teams from out of state joining local emergency professionals to try to bring them to safety.
Key developments
? Florence’s location: By 5 p.m. Saturday, Florence’s center was 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It was moving west at 2 mph, the National Weather Service said. The storm was expected to dump rain in the Carolinas through the weekend.
? Winds: Sustained winds of at least 39 mph can be felt as far away as 150 milesfrom the center of Florence.
?Looting arrests Wilmington police arrested five people who allegedly were looting a Dollar General store, authorities said. Another person was arrested after they allegedly looted an Exxon gas station and convenience store in Wilmington on Saturday evening, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
? No electricity: About 760,000 customers are without power in North Carolina, emergency officials said. In South Carolina, some 36,000 customers are without power, officials said.
? Trapped and rescued: In New Bern, North Carolina, officials tweeted Saturday afternoon that water rescues had been completed. In nearby Onslow County, three US Coast Guard helicopters were helping with rescue missions, officials said.
? Much flooding to come: By storm’s end, up to40 inches of rain will have fallen in parts of North Carolina and far northeastern South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. Some other parts of South Carolina could see rainfall totals of up to 15 inches, forecasters said. Florence “will produce catastrophic flooding over parts of North and South Carolina for some time,” NOAA official Steve Goldstein said.
? Record rainfall: Florence has dumped more than 30 inches of rain in Swansboro, North Carolina, as of Saturday morning, breaking the record for rainfall from a tropical system in the state. The previous record of 24.06 inches was set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Maura Walbourne sits in the front of a canoe as she looks inside her flooded home in Conway, South Carolina, on Sunday, September 23.
Jason Lee/AP
A home in Conway, South Carolina, is inundated by floodwaters on Wednesday, September 26, one week after Hurricane Florence.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Taylor James navigates floodwaters in a boat in front of Trinity United Methodist Church in Conway, South Carolina on Wednesday, September 26.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Floodwaters from the Neuse River cover part of Kinston, North Carolina, on Monday, September 24.
Ken Blevins/AP
Brian Terry looks at the floodwaters outside his home in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday, September 22.
Jason Lee/AP
An officer with the South Carolina State Highway Patrol marks the water level of Highway 22 on Saturday.
Jason Lee/AP
Avery Singleton takes a boat to Pine Grove Baptist Church in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday.
Jason Lee/AP
President Donald Trump hands out food at Temple Baptist Church, where food and other supplies were being distributed Wednesday, September 19, as part of Hurricane Florence recovery efforts in New Bern, North Carolina.
Evan Vucci/AP
Trump shakes hands as he visits the New Bern church on Wednesday.
Evan Vucci/AP
A woman in Currie, North Carolina, sits on a damaged road surrounded by floodwaters on Tuesday, September 18.
Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ronnie Gainey pulls an electric guitar from his flooded home in Darlington, South Carolina.
Jerry Wolford/Perfecta Visuals/Polaris/Newscom
Two people near Wallace, South Carolina, sit on the top of a vehicle that was caught in flooding on Monday, September 17.
Sean Rayford/AP
Rescue personnel help people evacuate a flooded area in Spring Lake, North Carolina.
David Goldman/AP
Floodwaters surround a trailer in Pollocksville, North Carolina, on September 17.
Steve Helber/AP
Pollocksville resident Willie Schubert cradles his dog, Lucky, atop a stranded van as they await help from the US Coast Guard on September 17.
Steve Helber/AP
Floodwaters are seen on North Carolina's Emerald Isle on Sunday, September 16.
Tom Copeland/AP
Chicken farm buildings are inundated with floodwaters near Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Steve Helber/AP
Panicked dogs left caged by their owner are rescued by volunteer Ryan Nichols in Leland, North Carolina, on September 16.
JONATHAN DRAKE/REUTERS
A church is partially submerged in Richlands, North Carolina, on September 16.
Callaghan O'Hare/Getty Images
Coast Guard member Blake Gwinn helps Josephine Horne escape her flooded home in Columbus County, North Carolina, on September 16.
Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY NETWORK
A large tree lies on top of a mobile home in Newport, North Carolina, on September 16.
Robert Willett/AP
John Hendren leads horses to safety after the US Coast Guard helped cut up a fallen tree that had trapped the animals in a flooded field in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Tony Thompson stands in the wreckage of his mobile home as Florence moved inland over Newport, North Carolina, on September 16.
Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer//TNS/Getty Images
A woman and a young girl walk down a flooded road in Pollocksville on September 16.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Floodwaters inundate parts of Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Steve Helber/AP
Members of the Coast Guard help a stranded motorist in floodwaters in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 16.
Jason Miczek/Reuters
A man peers from his flooded home in Lumberton on September 16.
Gerry Broome/AP
Members of a search-and-rescue team help an elderly resident onto a bus as they evacuate an assisted living facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 15.
David Goldman/AP
A member of the US Coast Guard checks on homes after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on September 15 .
Tom Copeland/AP
A neighbor takes photos of a boat smashed against a car garage near the Neuse River in New Bern on Saturday.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A truck is submerged in floodwaters in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Eric Thayer/The New York Times/Redux
Joseph Eudi surveys debris and storm damage at a home in New Bern, North Carolina, on September 15.
Gray Whitley/AP
A woman calls for help at her flooded residence as Florence brought large amounts of rain and floodwaters to Lumberton, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
People wait in line to fill gas cans at a gas station that was damaged when Florence hit Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A baseball field on Mill Creek Road is filled with floodwater after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Tom Copeland/AP
Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Floodwaters from Florence inundate the town of Engelhard, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Steve Helber/AP
Ray Baca of Wilmington, North Carolina, checks his phone as he sits on a bench.
Al Drago/UPI/Newscom
A sailboat lifted by storm surge leans against a building at Bridgepointe Marina in New Bern, North Carolina, on Saturday, a day after Florence's landfall.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Kim Adams wades through floodwaters surrounding her home in Southport, North Carolina, on September 15.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Volunteers help rescue three children from a flooded home in James City, North Carolina, on Friday, September 14.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Russ Lewis covers his eyes from wind and sand in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on September 14.
David Goldman/AP
Volunteers help rescue people from their flooded homes in New Bern on September 14.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Waves crash into the Second Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach on September 14.
Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
The storm leaves a tree toppled in New Bern on September 14.
Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard reinforce a low-lying area with sandbags in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 14.
Andrew Nelles//The Tennessean/USA Today Network/SIPA
Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten are rescued from floodwaters in New Bern on September 14.
Andrew Carter/The News & Observer via AP
Teddie Davis checks on one of the New Bern's signature bear statues toppled by the storm on September 14. Another one of the bears, in the background, ended up in the middle of a downtown street.
Chris Seward/AP
Rising waters threaten downtown Washington, North Carolina, as the Pamlico River overruns its banks on September 14.
Michael Candelori/NurPhoto/Sipa
An abandoned van sits on a flooded road near New Bern on September 14.
LOGAN CYRUS/AFP/Getty Images
A boat sits wedged in trees in Oriental, North Carolina, near New Bern, on September 14.
Angie Propst via AP
Members of a Federal Emergency Management Agency team from California search a flooded neighborhood in Fairfield Harbour, North Carolina, on September 14.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Rescue workers attempt to remove a giant tree that fell onto a house in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 14. Two people died when the tree collapsed -- among the first storm-related deaths due to Hurricane Florence.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
Electric poles that snapped in half sway from their wires in Wilmington on September 14.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
Lee Casteen, left, and Try Hinton use a chainsaw to clear a tree blocking a road in Wilmington on September 14.
Victor J. Blue/The New York Times/Redux Pictures
Rescue workers help a woman and her dog from a flooded house in James City on September 14.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Michael Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River flooded September 13 in New Bern.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach on September 13.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Residents wade through streets flooded by the Neuse River in New Bern on September 13.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station.
Alexander Gerst/ESA/Twitter
Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12.
Caitlin Penna/EPA
Marge Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September 12.
David Goldman/AP
Workers take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence.
Gerry Broome/AP
Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter on September 12, saying, "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."
Alexander Gerst/ESA/Twitter
Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Both lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11.
Mic Smith/AP
Laura Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk, Virginia, on September 11.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Veronica Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on September 11.
Jonathon Gruenke/The Daily Press/AP
A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Chuck Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11.
Caitlin Penna/EPA
Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath
‘It’s time to go’
Across the Carolinas, officials are sounding the alarm: More communities will flood as rivers collect water from upstream and spill over.
In Rocky Point, North Carolina, Susan Bostic and her family were packing to leave Saturday morning, even though Florence’s center was long gone.
The Northeast Cape Fear River flooded there after Hurricane Floyd, destroying her original home. This round of flooding is predicted to be worse – cresting at what would be a record 22.8 feet just to the north by Tuesday – and the river already was encroaching into her yard Saturday.
“We know it’s time to go,” Bostic told CNN. “We don’t (where we’re going) yet. We just know we’re getting out of here.”
Rapidly rising river
Anxiety also reigned Saturday in Lumberton, a North Carolina city that was submerged for days after 2016’s Hurricane Matthew.
The water in the Lumber River was rising faster than officials expected. It went up 5 feet overnight and was at 17.6 feet, more than 4 feet above flood stage, by Saturday night. It was expected to reach 24 feet by lunchtime Sunday.
Corey Walters, the city’s deputy director of public works, said this was a worst-case storm scenario.
There is flooding “everywhere in the city,” he said, and “the rescues are non-stop.” There have been “hundreds of rescues.”
Volunteers and city workers have been filling sandbags, trying to plug a low point in the city’s levee system before the Lumber River crests.
The Lumber River was several feet higher Saturday afternoon than when a CNN crew first observed it that morning.
Jeremy Harlan/CNN
Official predict that when the water reaches 26 feet, the barriers will be overwhelmed.
The city installed 11 pumps to help deal with the river, but Mayor John Cantey said he wants people living near it to get out.
There is a mandatory evacuation order for the area, officials said.
Water rises Saturday in Conway, South Carolina, near the Waccamaw River.
In Cumberland County, which includes Fayetteville, officials ordered people within a mile of the Cape Fear River to evacuate by 3 p.m. Sunday.
In South Carolina, the worst is likely yet to come for communities such as Conway, about 15 miles inland from Myrtle Beach.
Water was rising Saturday morning in a flood plain near the Waccamaw River, lapping up against homes and pooling over at least one main road.
Florence has left at least 13 people dead, including a mother and her child who died after a tree fell on their house in Wilmington, North Carolina, police said. The father was hospitalized with injuries.
In Hampstead, North Carolina, emergency responders going to a call for cardiac arrest found their path blocked by downed trees. When they got to the home, the woman was dead, authorities said.
Two men were also killed in Lenoir County, North Carolina. One was electrocuted while trying to connect two extension cords and the other while checking on his dogs outside, emergency officials said.
Three people died Saturday in Duplin County, North Carolina, because of flash flooding and “swift water on roadways,” the sheriff’s office there said.
Also, officials in Cumberland County determined that a fire that killed two people Friday was storm-related.
In South Carolina’s Union County, a 61-year-old woman was killed Friday night when the car she was driving struck a downed tree, state emergency management spokesman Antonio Diggs said.
A man and woman died in Horry County due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Earlier Saturday, officials in North Carolina’s Carteret County said two other people were dead as a result of the storm. They later clarified those deaths were not related to Florence.
She called 911. No one came
Those who stayed behind gave harrowing accounts of getting trapped in their homes surrounded by water.
Annazette Riley-Cromartie said she and her family thought they’d be safe in their brick house in eastern North Carolina. But the water kept rising.
She, her husband and three children escaped into the attic, but the winds howled, and the family fled to an upper floor bedroom.
As they waited for emergency workers, they heard neighbors screaming for help. Her 6-foot-2 husband went to see what he could do, but the water was above his chest, she said.
“It’s the worst feeling in the world to hear people yelling for help, and you can’t do anything,” she said.
She said she called 911, but no one came. Eventually, a volunteer rescue team from Indiana arrived with a boat and rescued them.
Kim Adams wades through floodwaters surrounding her home Saturday in Southport, North Carolina.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
States of emergency
Officials have declared states of emergency in several states, including in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms.
Part of downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, is inundated by water from the swollen Cape Fear River.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will travel through upstate South Carolina, be downgraded to a tropical depression, then turn north toward the Ohio Valley.
As it moves near Ohio and West Virginia, it will become a remnant low. Then it will swing to the northeast in the middle of next week on a path to the Atlantic Ocean near Nova Scotia, where it will be an extratropical low with gale-force winds.
CNN’s Cassie Spodak, Kaylee Hartung, Tina Burnside, Chuck Johnston, AnneClaire Stapleton, Brian Todd, Polo Sandoval, Nick Valencia, Victor Blackwell, Brandon Miller and Amir Vera contributed to this report.