Hurricane Florence: 10-foot storm surge, severe flooding reported in North Carolina

Hurricane Florence, now a slow-moving Category 1 storm that is bringing heavy rain to the Carolinas, is expected to make landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina, close to midday on Friday, Reuters reports.

The winds, while still strong, have weakened, but water is a major concern, and some areas could see 40 inches of rain. Severe flooding has already been reported in several towns, including New Bern, North Carolina, where the local emergency manager said first responders have had to make several water rescues. In Morehead, North Carolina, a 10-foot storm surge was reported Thursday night, and life-threatening storm surges are likely occurring in the eastern part of the state, The Weather Channel reports.

More than 160,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina are without power, and 12,000 people are staying in 126 evacuation shelters across the state, officials said. At 1 a.m. ET, the storm was 45 miles east of Wilmington, moving northeastward at 6 miles per hour.

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