Authorities in the town of New Bern, N.C., were working with federal responders to rescue at least 150 residents who reported themselves stranded in Hurricane Florence’s storm surge.

Colleen Roberts, the public informaton officer from the city, told Fox News that 200 have been rescued so far as the Category 1 storm battered the area with strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge.

FEMA teams are employing boats in the rescues and are determining which cases are the most severe. Roberts said many of the residents live near the Neuse and Trent rivers.

Flooding and a strong storm surge has prompted more than 90 calls to the emergency operation center in Craven County, N.C., for residents trapped in vehicles and homes, according to spokeswoman Amber Parker.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates </s> Hurricane Florence is thrashing the Carolina coast with devastating flooding and hurricane-force winds. One of the hardest hit areas so far is New Bern, North Carolina, where about 100 people are waiting to be rescued after more than 10 feet of powerful storm surge flooded the small city. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the area earlier this week.

Police say 150-200 residents have already been rescued in New Bern and about 100 are awaiting rescue.

As the storm slowly churned toward the shore, people who chose not to evacuate got caught in the floodwaters. They tried desperately to return to their homes as the Neuse River overflowed its banks. The city of New Bern tweeted to its residents early Friday morning, "We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. More are on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU."

New Bern residents were putting out calls for help on social media, claiming they couldn't get through to 911. Lt. David Daniels of the New Bern Police Department told "CBS This Morning" that 911 calls in his town are being answered and the "system is up and working."

Daniels said there are no reports of injuries at this time and recommends people get out if they're able to safely do so but warned against driving in standing water.

New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw confirmed there were no reports of fatalities as of early Friday morning.

"New Bern is just not used to this level of a hurricane," Outlaw said.

The New Bern Police Department tweeted early Thursday evening "City of New Bern officials are encouraging all residents to shelter in place due to Hurricane Florence." But Outlaw said on Friday morning it's "not a bad idea to get in your car and get west of I-95" if residents feel they can safely do so.

Craven County Emergency Management confirmed reports there are New Bern residents trapped on rooftops. Storm surge search and rescue operations have been underway across the county.

New Bern police have issued a 24-hour mandatory curfew starting at 7 a.m. Friday morning.

The Category 1 storm forced ABC affiliate WCTI 12 in New Bern to evacuate during a live broadcast. WCTI anchor Jaime McCutcheon tweeted: "So that really did just happen. The water started rising and we evacuated almost an entire TV station in about 15 minutes."

Meanwhile, CBS affiliate WNCT reports that more than 60 people, including an infant and children, were rescued from a hotel in Jacksonville, N.C. after strong winds threatened the structural integrity of the building. </s> Hurricane Florence is thrashing the Carolina coast with devastating flooding and hurricane-force winds. One of the hardest hit areas so far is New Bern, North Carolina, where about 150 people are waiting to be rescued after more than 10 feet of powerful storm surge flooded the small city. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the area earlier this week.

Police say 150-200 residents have already been rescued in New Bern and 150 or more people are awaiting rescue, reports CBS News' Kris Van Cleave. Water levels are expected to rise further later today during high tide.

As the storm slowly churned toward the shore, people who chose not to evacuate got caught in the floodwaters. They tried desperately to return to their homes as the Neuse River overflowed its banks. The city of New Bern tweeted to its residents early Friday morning, "We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. More are on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU."

New Bern residents were putting out calls for help on social media, claiming they couldn't get through to 911. Lt. David Daniels of the New Bern Police Department told "CBS This Morning" that 911 calls in his town are being answered and the "system is up and working."

If anybody could help... our cars is under water and so is our house stuck in attic. Phone about to die please send help to 611 Watson ave, new bern. NC — bree (@Breeanna_xoxo) September 14, 2018

Daniels said there are no reports of injuries at this time and recommends people get out if they're able to safely do so but warned against driving in standing water.

New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw confirmed there were no reports of fatalities as of early Friday morning.

"New Bern is just not used to this level of a hurricane," Outlaw said.

The New Bern Police Department tweeted early Thursday evening "City of New Bern officials are encouraging all residents to shelter in place due to Hurricane Florence." But Outlaw said on Friday morning it's "not a bad idea to get in your car and get west of I-95" if residents feel they can safely do so.

Update: Pics of flooding downtown while looking for citizens who may need assistance. @CityofNewBern #HurricaneFlorence2018 pic.twitter.com/Ebgfh1hlt5 — New Bern PD (@NewBernPD) September 14, 2018

Craven County Emergency Management confirmed reports there are New Bern residents trapped on rooftops. Storm surge search and rescue operations have been underway across the county.

New Bern police have issued a 24-hour mandatory curfew starting at 7 a.m. Friday morning.

So that really did just happen. The water started rising and we evacuated almost an entire TV station in about 15 minutes. — JaimeMcCutcheon-WCTI (@jaimemccutcheon) September 13, 2018

The Category 1 storm forced ABC affiliate WCTI 12 in New Bern to evacuate during a live broadcast. WCTI anchor Jaime McCutcheon tweeted: "So that really did just happen. The water started rising and we evacuated almost an entire TV station in about 15 minutes."

Meanwhile, CBS affiliate WNCT reports that more than 60 people, including an infant and children, were rescued from a hotel in Jacksonville, N.C. after strong winds threatened the structural integrity of the building. </s> Rescue team member Sgt. Nick Muhar, from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion, evacuates a young child as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens his home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Rescue team member Sgt. Nick Muhar, from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion, evacuates a young child as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens his home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Blowing ashore with howling 90 mph (155 kph) winds, Florence splintered buildings, trapped hundreds of people and swamped entire communities along the Carolina coast Friday in what could be just the opening act in a watery, two-part, slow-motion disaster. At least four people were killed.

Forecasters warned that drenching rains of 1 to 3½ feet (30 centimeters to 1 meter) as the hurricane-turned-tropical storm crawls westward across North and South Carolina could trigger epic flooding well inland over the next few days.

As 400-mile-wide (645-kilometer-wide) Florence pounded away at the coast with torrential downpours and surging seas, rescue crews used boats to reach more than 360 people besieged by rising waters in New Bern, while many of their neighbors awaited help. More than 60 people had to be rescued in another town as a cinderblock motel collapsed at the height of the storm’s fury.

Florence flattened trees, crumbled roads and the assault wasn’t anywhere close to being over, with the siege in the Carolinas expected to last all weekend. The storm knocked out power to more than 890,000 homes and businesses, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks the U.S. electrical grid.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called Florence an “uninvited brute” that could wipe out entire communities as it grinds across the state.

“The fact is this storm is deadly and we know we are days away from an ending,” Cooper said. Parts of North Carolina had seen storm surges — the bulge of seawater pushed ashore by the hurricane — as high as 10 feet (3 meters), he said.

A mother and baby were killed when a tree fell on a house, according to a tweet from Wilmington police. Also, a 77-year-old man was apparently knocked down by the wind and died after going out to check on his hunting dogs, Lenoir County authorities said, and the governor’s office said a man was electrocuted while trying to connect extension cords in the rain.

Shaken after seeing waves crashing on the Neuse River just outside his house in New Bern, restaurant owner and hurricane veteran Tom Ballance wished he had evacuated.

“I feel like the dumbest human being who ever walked the face of the earth,” he said.

After reaching a terrifying Category 4 peak of 140 mph (225 kph) earlier in the week, Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 7:15 a.m. at Wrightsville Beach, a few miles (kilometers) east of Wilmington and not far from the South Carolina line. It came ashore along a mostly boarded-up, emptied-out stretch of coastline.

By Friday evening, Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm, its winds weakened to 70 mph (112 kph) as it moved forward at 3 mph (6 kph) about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

But it was clear that this was really about the water, not the wind. Several places already had more than 16 inches (40 centimeters) of rain, and Oriental, North Carolina got more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) in just a few hours.

Florence’s forward movement during the day slowed to a near-standstill — sometimes it was going no faster than a human can walk — and that enabled it to pile on the rain.

The flooding soon spread into South Carolina, swamping places like North Myrtle Beach, in a resort area known for its white sands and multitude of golf courses.

For people living inland in the Carolinas, the moment of maximum peril from flash flooding could arrive days later, because it takes time for rainwater to drain into rivers and for those streams to crest.

Preparing for the worst, about 9,700 National Guard troops and civilians were deployed with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats.

Authorities warned, too, of the threat of mudslides and the risk of an environmental disaster from floodwaters washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms.

Florence was seen as a major test for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was heavily criticized as slow and unprepared last year for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where the death toll was put at nearly 3,000.

The National Hurricane Center said Florence will eventually break up over the southern Appalachians and make a right hook to the northeast, its rainy remnants moving into the mid-Atlantic states and New England by the middle of next week.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com said Florence could dump a staggering 18 trillion gallons (68 trillion liters) of rain over a week on North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. That’s enough to fill the Chesapeake Bay or cover the entire state of Texas with nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water, he calculated.

North Carolina alone is forecast to get 9.6 trillion gallons (36 trillion liters), enough to cover the Tar Heel state to a depth of about 10 inches (25 centimeters).

On Friday, coastal streets in the Carolinas flowed with frothy ocean water, and pieces of torn-apart buildings flew through the air. The few cars out on a main street in Wilmington had to swerve to avoid fallen trees, metal debris and power lines.

A wind gust at the Wilmington airport was clocked at 105 mph (nearly 170 kph), the highest since Hurricane Helene in 1958. Nationwide, airlines canceled more than 2,400 flights through Sunday.

In Jacksonville, North Carolina, next to Camp Lejeune, firefighters and police fought wind and rain as they went door-to-door to pull dozens of people out of the Triangle Motor Inn after the structure began to crumble and the roof started to collapse.

In New Bern, population 29,000, flooding on the Neuse River left 500 people in peril.

“WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU,” the city tweeted around 2 a.m. “You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU.”

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Boat teams including volunteers rescued some 360 residents, including Sadie Marie Holt, 67, who first tried to row out of her neighborhood during Florence’s assault.

“The wind was so hard, the waters were so hard, that trying to get out we got thrown into trailers. We got thrown into mailboxes, houses, trees,” said Holt, who had stayed at home because of a doctor’s appointment that was later canceled. She retreated and was eventually rescued by a boat crew; 140 more awaited assistance.

Ashley Warren and boyfriend Chris Smith managed to paddle away from their home in a boat with their two dogs, and the experience left her shaken.

“Honestly, I grew up in Wilmington. I love hurricanes. But this one has been an experience for me,” she said. “We might leave.”

___

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington; Allen G. Breed in New Bern, North Carolina; Jeffrey Collins in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Jennifer Kay in Miami; Tamara Lush in Jacksonville, Florida; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sarah Rankin and Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia; Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Skip Foreman in Charlotte, North Carolina; Jeff Martin in Hampton, Georgia; David Koenig in Dallas; Gerry Broome at Nags Head, North Carolina; and Jay Reeves in Atlanta contributed to this report.

___

For the latest on Hurricane Florence, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes </s> Hurricane Florence smashed into the US East Coast Friday with howling winds, torrential rains and life-threatening storm surges as emergency crews scrambled to rescue hundreds of people stranded in their homes by flood waters.

Forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding and other mayhem from the monster storm, which is only Category 1 but physically sprawling and dangerous.

The port city of Wilmington woke Friday to the sound of exploding electrical transformers with strong gusts throwing street signs and other debris as well as water in all directions, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

The storm officially made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina at 7:15 am (1115 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said.

Ken Graham, the NHC’s director, warned the slow pace of the storm exacerbated its danger even to areas outside its immediate path. “The longer you have this hurricane wind flow, the longer you push that water well inland,” he said.

Rescue workers in North Carolina meanwhile were scrambling to save people stranded in their homes. Video footage showed parking lots in the riverfront town of New Bern turn into shallow lakes of dirty gray water as heavy rain fell.

New Bern Police Lt. David Daniels said early Friday morning that between 150 and 200 people had been rescued so far, with others still waiting for help.

“Currently ~150 awaiting rescue in New Bern,” City Hall said on Twitter.

Nearly 300,000 customers in North Carolina were meanwhile reported to be without power as the outer band of the storm approached.

In its 1200 GMT advisory, the center said Florence was packing winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph) and moving northwest at six miles per hour (10 kilometers per hour).

It added the greatest threats to life came from storm-surges while “catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding” was expected, with some areas receiving up to 40 inches of rainfall.

In a display of the early effects of the storm, one flood gauge on the Neuse River in New Bern, North Carolina, showed 10 feet (three meters) of flooding, the NHC said.

With winds picking up along the coastline earlier Thursday, federal and state officials had issued final appeals to residents to get out of the path of the “once in a lifetime” weather system.

“This storm will bring destruction,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. “Catastrophic effects will be felt.”

The NHC said hurricane-force winds extended outward 80 miles from the center of the storm and tropical storm-force winds extended nearly 195 miles out.

A tornado watch was also in effect for parts of North Carolina.

Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned the danger was not only along the coast: “Inland flooding kills a lot of people, unfortunately, and that’s what we’re about to see,” he said.

About 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders and millions of others live in areas likely to be affected by the storm.

Myrtle Beach, a South Carolina beach resort, was deserted with empty streets, boarded up storefronts and very little traffic.

A state of emergency has been declared in five coastal states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia.

Duke Energy, a power company in the Carolinas, estimated that one million to three million customers could lose electricity because of the storm and that it could take weeks to restore.

Not everybody was heeding orders to evacuate, however.

Antonio Ramirez, a construction worker from El Salvador living in Leland, North Carolina, said he planned to ride out the worst of the weather with his dog Canelo.

“The shelters are not taking dogs,” Ramirez said. “I’m not leaving him here.”

In Wilmington, residents who had decided not to evacuate were lining up to get ice from a vending machine – $2 for a 16-pound (7.2-kilo) bag.

“I have no generator,” said Petra Langston, a nurse. “I learned from the past to keep the ice in the washing machine.”

Perched on the porch of his home, carpenter Tony Albright was calmly awaiting Florence’s arrival, beer in hand.

“I built this house myself, so I’m not worried at all, I know it’s solid,” he said. “I charged the batteries of my electronic devices, I have beers and video games.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android. </s> As 400-mile-wide Florence pounded away at the coast with torrential downpours and surging seas, rescue crews used boats to reach more than 360 people besieged by rising waters in New Bern, while many of their neighbors awaited help. More than 60 people had to be rescued in another town as a cinderblock motel collapsed at the height of the storm's fury. </s> The category one hurricane was sat 10 miles east of Wilmington, North Carolina, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 11am BST (6am EDT) update. “Landfall of the center will occur very soon.” 90mph winds have slowed to 59mph ahead of Florence’s approach - but the biggest threat comes from the rain, with forecasters predicting eight months’ worth might fall in just two or three days.

Up to 40 inches could drench the worst affected areas, the NHC said. The weather warning read: “Southeastern coastal North Carolina into far northeastern South Carolina...an additional 20 to 25 inches, with isolated storm totals of 30 to 40 inches. Other areas of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia will see between 5 and 10 inches, with 15 inches in isolated parts.

Tornados are also expected in eastern Northern Carolina. What is happening right now? Live web cams and video footage are showing the devastation from Florence’s storm surges with one showing water shooting past houses after breaking through flood barriers. Rescue workers are scrambling to rescue 150 people trapped by rising flood waters in the coastal city of New Bern, North Carolina.

The city’s official Twitter account wrote: “We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. “More on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU.” Storm surges of up to 11 feet are predicted between Cape Fear and Cape Lookout in North Carolina. One Twitter user in Buxton, North Carolina, tweeted terrifying footage of the pounding winds and rains hitting outside. </s> Despite being downgraded again late Thursday night, this time to a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Florence has brought hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge. It made landfall along the coast of North Carolina near Wrightsville Beach at 7:15 a.m. Friday.

Here's a roundup of videos taken from people in the storm.

The first video above, taken by Mark Cogdell, shows a gas station on Market St. in Wilmington, North Carolina collapsing in Hurricane Florence's winds.

This next video shows huge waves and storm surge crashing into a structure in North Topsail Beach.

More storm surge can be seen outside a home in Belhaven, North Carolina in this video from Amy Johnson.

Here's video of New Bern, North Carolina where hundreds of people were trapped in flood waters.

“We’re estimating we’ve rescued 150-200,” New Bern Police Lt. David Daniels said early Friday morning, who estimates an additional 150-200 are waiting to be rescued.

The video below, taken in Wilmington, North Carolina, shows a large tree being split in half in Florence's winds. </s> Two mental health patients who drowned when a sheriff’s van was swept away by floodwaters are among the dozens killed by Storm Florence.

Two mental health patients who drowned when a sheriff’s van was swept away by floodwaters are among the dozens killed by Storm Florence.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has arrived in storm-ravaged North Carolina and helped volunteers at a church in the hard-hit coastal town of New Bern.

“How’s the house?” Mr Trump was heard asking one person as he distributed plastic foam containers of food, including hot dogs, chips and fruit. “You take care of yourself.”

Wilmington, population 120,000, was still mostly an island surrounded by floodwaters, and people waited for hours on Tuesday for handouts of food, water and tarps. Thousands of others around the state waited in shelters for the all-clear.

“I know it was hard to leave home, and it is even harder to wait and wonder whether you even have a home to go back to,” governor Roy Cooper said.

After submerging North Carolina with nearly 3ft of rain, the storm dumped more than 6.5 inches of rain in the northeast, where it caused flash flooding.

Mr Cooper warned that the flooding is far from over and will get worse in places.

“I know for many people this feels like a nightmare that just won’t end,” he said.

Addressing roughly 10,000 people who remain in shelters and “countless more” staying elsewhere, Mr Cooper urged them to stay where they are for now, particularly those from the hardest-hit coastal counties that include Wilmington, near where Florence blew ashore on Friday.

Roads remain treacherous, he said, and some are still being closed for the first time as rivers swelled by torrential rains inland drain toward the Atlantic.

In South Carolina, two women died on Tuesday evening after a van taking the mental health patients from one facility to another was overtaken by rising floodwaters near the Little Pee Dee River, authorities said.

The risk of environmental damage mounted, as human and animal waste was washed into the swirling floodwaters.

More than 5 million gallons of partially treated sewage spilled into the Cape Fear River after power went out at a treatment plant and the earthen dam of a pond holding hog waste was breached, spilling its contents. The flooding killed an estimated 3.4 million chickens and 5,500 hogs on farms.
More than 150 residents in New Bern, North Carolina, are left stranded after 10-foot (3 m)–high storm surges flood the city.