Hurricane Florence: River Floods In North Carolina's New Bern, 150,000 Lose Power

UPDATE: 7.40 a.m. EDT - A curfew was imposed in New Bern starting at 7 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday. North Carolina's statewide power outage summary is 321,692. According to latest reports, a tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina.

UPDATE: 3.50 a.m. EDT - According to latest reports, the hurricane has knocked out power in more than 170,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina. Despite mandatory evacuation orders, Craven County emergency crews reported rescuing multiple residents through the early morning Friday. New Bern officials reported that about 150 people were waiting to be rescued, and two Federal Emergency Management Agency teams were in the area.

Original story

Hurricane Florence lashed North Carolina with wind and heavy rain Thursday, flooding roads and overflowing rivers. The hurricane also knocked out power in more than 150,000 homes and businesses.

According to reports, the first case of flooding was reported near N.C. 12, the roadway that runs through the Outer Banks — the chain of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast. Water and sand covered the highway near Rodanthe and in Avon, Buxton and just north of Hatteras Village, the state transportation department said.

Low-lying areas along New Bern riverfront, a city of about 30,000 located along the Neuse River, also started flooding due to overflowing of the river from its banks. WCTI, the ABC affiliate station in New Bern, office had to be evacuated as water started entering the building. Shelters were opened in various places in the city. Craven County opened an additional shelter at Trent Park Elementary School for evacuees, CBS 17 reported.

Atlantic Beach in North Carolina recorded a foot of rain. The National Hurricane Center said water was quickly rising on the western side of Pamlico Sound, a saltwater lagoon dotted with picturesque towns, Miami Herald reported.

In a press conference Thursday evening, Gov. Roy Cooper said flooding was reported along the Cape Fear River, which flows south of Wilmington, and at the Bogue Sound south of Morehead City.

"We in North Carolina have to shift from preparation to determination. We will survive this and endure,” he said. Cooper also ordered a mandatory evacuation of all barrier islands.

“Don’t relax. Don’t get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. I’ve heard some people say North Carolina is getting a break. Hear my message: we cannot underestimate this storm,” Cooper said.

National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said, “I keep repeating this and I’ll say it again. Most of the fatalities in these tropical systems are from water.”

The Wrightsville Beach has been closed since Wednesday night. The National Weather Service said a gauge on the Neuse River recorded a water height of about 6.0 feet above normal levels, while 10-foot storm surge was reported in Havelock.

Mike Sprayberry, emergency management director of North Carolina Emergency Management, said 12,000 people are in 126 evacuation shelters. Cooper said 750,000 to 1 million people heeded the evacuation orders. Tornado warnings were also issued at various times for Dare, Craven and Carteret counties Thursday.

Many flights into and out of North Carolina have been canceled. About half of the 400 arrivals and departures scheduled for Friday at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and nearly 200 flights scheduled for Friday at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport were cancelled due to bad weather.