Heavy rain, gusting winds and rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence deluged the Carolinas on Thursday as the massive, slow-moving storm began lashing the US East Coast, threatening millions of people in its path.
Florence, downgraded to a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale and moving west at only 8 km per hour, remained huge, unpredictable and potentially deadly ahead of its forecast landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina, at mid-day on Friday.
A sign warns people away from Union Point Park in New Bern, North Carolina after is was flooded, September 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news conference that the "historic" hurricane would unleash rains and floods that would inundate almost the entire state in several feet of water.
The state will see the equivalent of up to eight months of rain in a two-to-three-day period, National Weather Service forecaster Brandon Locklear said in a video briefing.
North Carolinians made last-minute preparations and hunkered down to await Florence's arrival.
Residents wade through deep floodwater after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded streets in New Bern, North Carolina, September 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
Final appeals for residents to evacuate
At least 88,000 people were without power in North Carolina with the brunt of the storm yet to come, according to the state's emergency management agency. Millions of people were expected to lose power from the storm and restoration could take weeks.
Roads and intersections on North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier islands were already inundated with water.
About 10 million people could be affected by the storm and more than 1 million had been ordered to evacuate the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia, jamming westbound roads and highways for miles.
A sign shows a Hurricane warning is in effect as Hurricane Florence begins to touch down in Wilmington, North Carolina, September 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
At least 12,000 people had taken refuge in 126 emergency shelters, Cooper said, with more facilities being opened.
The National Hurricane Center warned the threat of tornadoes was increasing as Florence neared shore and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the heavy rains could trigger landslides in the western part of his state.
Emergency declarations were in force in Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Despite pleas from officials, some residents rejected calls to evacuate.
People evacuate their house after the Neuse River flooded their street in New Bern, North Carolina, September 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
Near the beach in Wilmington, a Waffle House restaurant, part of a chain with a reputation for staying open during disasters, had no plans to close, even if power is lost, and on Thursday evening there were lines to get in.
"I've never been one to leave for a storm but this one kind of had me spooked," said Will Epperson, a 36-year-old golf course assistant superintendent, who had planned with his wife to ride out the storm at their home in Hampstead, North Carolina, but then reconsidered.
Linda Smith, a 67-year-old retired nonprofit director, was concerned as she watched wind gusts stir up frothy white caps on the Cape Fear River. "I am frightened about what's coming. We just want prayers from everyone," she said.
(Cover: Waves crash underneath the pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina as the outer bands of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast, September 13, 2018. /VCG Photo)