Florence: 32 Dead, Storm 'Never More Dangerous Than It Is Now'
CHARLOTTE, NC — Florence, the once terrifying Category 4 hurricane downgraded to a post-tropical depression, has never been more dangerous than it is now as massive flooding spreads inland, North Carolina’s governor warns. Community after community has been swamped by the rising floodwaters, and more could go under water as rivers crest across the 500-mile-wide state. The deaths of at least 32 people have been linked to Florence, and the death toll could rise as waters recede.
Officials warned Carolinians not to be lulled into complacency as the rain lets up and winds that uprooted trees and rattled shingles off houses calm. The awaiting danger is illustrated by the Cape Fear River in Cumberland County, which officials warn will swamp everything within a mile on either side when it crests Tuesday at 62 feet — 27 feet above flood stage. Its tributary, the Little River, is expected to flood, too.
“Wherever you live in North Carolina, be alert for sudden flooding,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference Monday.
Florence’s remnants have meandered north, spawning terrible weather in Virginia. One person was killed in Richmond Monday when a tornado flattened a warehouse. Another person sustained minor injuries.
Before it’s over, Florence could rank among the Top 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history, according to an estimate by an economic consulting firm. Moody’s Analytics told CBS News that between property damage and lost economic output, Florence could deliver an economic hit of between $17 billion and $22 billion. And with more inland flooding forecast in the days ahead, the cost of the hurricane could soar even higher, Moody’s said.
Residents like Wayne Mills, who lives in New Bern, regret not heeding warnings to evacuate, but Mills figured the regular downgrades — from a Category 4 to a Category 2 and then to a Category 1 storm — meant he could wait it out.
But those ratings are based on wind strength, not storm surge and the buckets of rainfall Florence dumped on the state, resulting in epic flooding — historically the cause of 90 percent of deaths in hurricanes.
The standard used to define hurricane strength needs to change so people like Mills aren’t lulled into a false sense of complacency that could put their lives in peril, according to several meteorologists and disaster experts. Using the 47-year-old Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale didn’t reflect the greatest risks of Florence, they said, just as it didn’t fully convey the danger of monster hurricnes like last year’s Harvey, 2012’s Sandy and 2008’s Ike.
“The concept of saying ‘downgraded’ or ‘weakened’ should be forever banished,” University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd told the Associated Press. “With Florence, I felt it was more dangerous after it was lowered to Category 2.”
Famous Roberts, a corrections officer from Trenton, also stayed behind when the strength of the storm was lowered.
“Like a lot of people (we) didn’t think it was actually going to be as bad,” he told the AP. “With the category drop … that’s another factor why we did stay.”
1.7 Million Chickens Killed, Pollution Fears
Fears of hazardous waste spills continue to mount with the rising flood waters. Several open-air manure pits at North Carolina’s large factory hog farms reportedly failed and were spilling pollution, including one earthen dam at a hog farm in Duplin County and seven in Jones and Pender counties, though the North Carolina Pork Council disputes any lagoons were breached. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan said regulators will make on-site inspections when conditions allow.
North Carolina ranks second in the nation in pork production, but poultry is its No. 1 agricultural industry. The giant Sanderson Farms, which operates 30 farms in the state and one of the nation’s largest poultry producers, said in a notice to investors Monday that at least 1.7 million chickens perished in North Carolina when floodwaters overtook dozens of broiler houses and other facilities.
Another 6 million chickens are inaccessible due to floodwaters, and more could perish if feed trucks aren’t able to access the farms, Sanderson said.
A Duke Energy coal ash landfill collapsed near Willmington earlier in the storm. Coal ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic, which can all pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water and the air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Duke Energy says it is monitoring the “ongoing situation,” but a full assessment of how much potentially contaminated storm water flowed into a nearby lake can’t be done until rains stop.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Monday he is looking into complaints that some retailers have been bilking customers with exorbitant prices for essentials like gas and water and by hiking the rates on rooms for evacuees seeking shelter at hotels. Cooper signed an order a week ago that put the price gouging law into effect. The law, which prevents retailers from charging “unreasonably excessive” prices for the things people need in an emergency, includes a refund process and and civil penalties are also a possibility.
So far, at least 2,600 people and 300 pets have been rescued. And crews were slowly getting the lights back on. By late Tuesday morning, 308,735 North Carolina customers were still waiting to have their power restored as flash flood watches remained for portions of the piedmont. In the mountains, rock slides and landslides remained a concern.
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Photo: A message outside a razed home along the Neuse River in New Bern, N.C. on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Near the flooded-out town of New Bern , where about 455 people had to be rescued from the swirling floodwaters, water completely surrounded churches, businesses and homes. In the neighboring town of Trenton, downtown streets were turned to creeks full of brown water.(AP Photo/Gary D Robertson)