Hurricane Florence changed my perspective on flooding in Wilmington, NC

Table Of Content

• Conditions along the coast
• WCNC would like to send you push notifications about the latest news and weather.
• Water and power issues persist in Florida
• "Hurricane Ian's landfall is imminent" in South Carolina
• Ian pounds South Carolina; washes away piers and floods streets
• Ian drenches Central NC, leaves thousands in the dark; Wake County hit hard

Emergency management officials say residents in all parts of the state should sign up for weather alerts and prepare emergency supplies. Receive severe weather alerts straight to your phone by downloading the WCNC Charlotte app, where you can also send the team photos and videos of the storm as it is safe to do so. Beyond the typical severe weather, there are dangerous heat waves, record-breaking cold snaps or even hazardous winds that could impact people's safety. Those instances would cause WCNC Charlotte's Weather Team to tell everyone they should be Weather Aware. WCNC Charlotte chief meteorologist Brad Panovich said Charleston reported wind gusts as high as 56 mph as Ian moved closer to landfall.

Conditions along the coast

Many houses and apartment complexes in Orlando, Florida, are still completely surrounded by water. In Tampa Bay, cargo ships are moving in and out of the port. However, cruises have not yet resumed — the first will be the Carnival Paradise, which is scheduled to arrive on Saturday. "Don't do it in this county. Don't make that mistake," Marceno said. "Because one thing we do have is vacancy at the jail. And I guarantee you if you try to prey on one of our great residents, you will find yourself in that jail."

WCNC would like to send you push notifications about the latest news and weather.

Circle K planned a 30-cent discount on gas — then Hurricane Idalia stormed through - Charlotte Observer

Circle K planned a 30-cent discount on gas — then Hurricane Idalia stormed through.

Posted: Thu, 31 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

But the Florida resident waded into chest-high floodwaters to search for Affolter. Emergency crews sawed through toppled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help because of electrical and cellular outages. "Emergency Management officials recommend citizens stay at home or in a safe place throughout the storm," the city of Charleston tweeted. Charleston, South Carolina, started seeing some impacts of Hurricane Ian Friday morning, according to the city's Twitter account, and some roads in the city were already closed. "It's going to be blowing strong winds, and it's going to be all over the state at different levels," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said.

Water and power issues persist in Florida

Living along the North Carolina coast, flooding is something we’ve long had to deal with. Until Hurricane Florence in 2018, though, it was something I covered as a journalist, not something I had experienced. I was just in awe — and also floored and angered — because I went to K-12 public school, then I went to what I believed to be the best public school in the state, UNC-Chapel Hill. And they didn't teach me this really significant Black history. North Carolina’s median household income in 2022 was $66,186, according to the U.S. The end of income caps to qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship program and the repeal of another eligibility requirement led to a six-fold increase in new applications for the coming school year.

Tracking Ian: Storm downgraded to post-tropical cyclone as it moves further into the Carolinas

Ahead of Ian's second expected U.S. landfall, the hurricane's effects were being felt across the state, the official said. "Hurricane Ian's landfall is imminent along the northern Charleston County coast," the official said during a briefing with Gov. Henry McMaster. A National Weather Service official warned Ian was set to make landfall Friday afternoon in South Carolina. "A lot of prayers have been answered, but I ought to ask people, don't quit yet because it's still coming," McMaster said during a briefing Friday afternoon. "We're just beginning to see the scale of that destruction," Mr. Biden said.

The governor urged people to stay inside and avoid driving. North Carolina will likely see such conditions through Saturday, the governor warned. The Coast Guard said the next day that three people were located 2 miles off Boca Chica and taken to area hospitals for exhaustion and dehydration. Later that same day, the Coast Guard said nine people had been safely located and rescued.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp preemptively declared an emergency, ordering 500 National Guard troops onto standby to respond as needed. The storm will move through the Piedmont fairly quickly Friday night, which is good news for any flooding. The mountains and foothills of North Carolina will be at a greater risk of flooding as the rain lingers through Saturday morning.

Ian drenches Central NC, leaves thousands in the dark; Wake County hit hard

There is currently only enough money to provide awards to children who already received scholarships this school year and some new applicants whose family income fell below certain levels. A family of four that makes more than $115,440, for example, is being left out. On a party-line vote, the majority-Republican Senate agreed to spend the money. Almost all of it will cover a surge in demand for Opportunity Scholarship grants since the GOP-dominated legislature agreed last fall to eliminate family income limits to receive a grant. As we continue to feel the effects of Hurricane Idalia, we urge our residents to stay off the roads as much as possible and continue to monitor @CharMeckEM. The likelihood of accidents is going to be heightened over the next few days.

I needed someone to introduce me to why this was happening and teach me my history. I needed groceries — there were no groceries in the house. I needed someone to teach me how to be a storyteller and introduce me to film.

However, nearly all of the storm's rain is located north of its center. That's why rain bands arrived in North Carolina early Friday morning -- and it's also why the majority of the rain will be over by the end of the day. Ian is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone overnight and dissipate sometime Saturday. NOAA and partner scientists have found that human-caused climate change is likely "fueling more powerful hurricanes" and that sea-level rise contributes to increased flooding during these storms. There's still a lot of uncertainty about the storm's path.

That's because some areas will see periods of heavy downpours. Flood warnings change to flood watches in areas across the Triangle. Thousands spend night in dark after Ian drenches the Triangle causing trees and power lines to fall.

Nearly 55,000 children who qualified for the program this fall won’t otherwise be able to access funds unless more money is appropriated. The center of Ian will linger over the region for Sunday and Monday, rotating showers through the WBTV viewing area at times. For more information on severe weather, head over to for the latest updates in your area.

During a Wednesday news conference, officials said there weren’t any current plans to close schools or delay classes for severe weather. ABC11 Meteorologist Kweilyn Murphy said most of us can expect between 2-6 inches of rain Friday. Although isolated areas will get heavier downpours which will amount to more than 6 inches.

And she adds that an isolated tornado or waterspout is not entirely impossible for Friday night and into Saturday. For the Carolinas, we can expect the heaviest rain and highest wind gusts for Friday afternoon into Friday night, with diminishing rain by Saturday morning. Rainfall totals of three to six inches are possible in the WBTV viewing area, with wind gusts of 50+ mph possible. Tropical-storm-force winds started hitting the Carolina coast Friday morning, before life-threatening storm surge — up 7 feet in some areas — is expected there Friday afternoon.

The Coast Guard helped rescue a man in the Ogeechee River who was trying to secure his Jet Ski when he got pulled out to sea. Power also continues to be an issue for many Floridians, he said. While Lee and Charlotte counties have had about 15% of their power restored, 85% remain without power, DeSantis said, and some of their utilities will "require some rebuild." Lee County, among the hardest-hit areas, had a water main break and "does not have water at this point," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press briefing Friday morning. FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers have arrived in that area to assist.