WILMINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Florence battered the Carolinas early Friday with howling winds, life-threatening storm surges and torrential rains as it edged closer to the coast in what officials warned is a "once in a lifetime” event.
Reports said coastal streets in North Carolina were flooded and winds bent trees to the ground as the storm, which has been downgraded to Category 1 and is weakened and slower moving than in recent days, prepared to make landfall at some point on Friday.
More than 150,000 customers in North Carolina were reported to be without power as the outer band of the storm approached.
Footage from U.S. TV outlets showed raging waters hitting piers and jettys, and rushing across coastal roads in seaside communities.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported "life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds” along the North Carolina coast.
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.”
In Wilmington, a steady rain began to fall as gusts of winds intensified, causing trees to sway and stoplights to flicker.
Some areas could receive as much as 40 inches (one meter) of rain, forecasters said.
"This rainfall will produce catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding,” the NHC said.
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.
A state of emergency has been declared in five coastal states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia.