美国北卡罗来纳州州长罗伊·库珀说，“大水凶猛上涨”之际，生命危险也随之上升。飓风佛罗伦萨的余威给北卡带来大量降雨。
库珀在星期天的新闻发布会上对居民们发出警告说：“无论你住在北卡罗来纳州的什么地方，都应警惕突发洪水。如果你被要求撤离，请注意天气预报并准备好前往比较安全的地方”。
他说，“决不要开车经过被水淹没的道路。只需几英寸的水就可以把你的车冲走。这种事已经发生了。”
佛罗伦萨已经弱化为热带低气压，但在其缓慢接近美国东南部地区时，继续带来倾盆大雨。
风暴造成至少16人丧生，整个城镇被洪水隔绝与外界交通，主要高速公路被淹没，有70多万户住家停电。北卡的很多地区都有龙卷风预警。
联邦紧急事务管理局局长布洛克·龙告诉福克斯新闻：“对于那些失去家园或最终重返家园时面对重大损失的人来说，这将是时间较长而令人沮丧的”。
但是国家飓风中心表示，预计佛罗伦萨将为北卡中部和西部地区再添高达25厘米降水，之前那些地区已经有38到50厘米的降雨。该中心说，更多降雨将”带来灾难性的突发洪水，延长河水泛滥的时间，增加北卡西部和维吉尼亚州西南部发生泥石流的风险。“
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says the risk to life is “rising with the angry waters” as what is left of Hurricane Florence dumps tons of rain across the state.
“Wherever you live in North Carolina, be alert for sudden flash floods. Pay attention to the weather warnings and be ready to head for safer ground if you’re asked to evacuate,” Cooper warned residents during Sunday news conference.”
Never drive through flooded roads. Just a few inches (centimeters) of water can wash your car away. And that is already happening out there.”
Florence is now a tropical depression, but continues to dump buckets of rain on parts of the southeastern United States as it slowly creeps toward the mid-Atlantic.
At least 16 people have been killed. Entire towns are completely cut off by floodwaters. Major highways are covered and more than 700,000 homes have no power. Many parts of North Carolina are under a tornado watch.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long told Fox News Sunday “This is going to be a long, frustrating event” for those who have lost their homes or face substantial damage when they eventually are able to return.
It said the storm will continue to “produce heavy and excessive rainfall,” endangering towns and cities in its path.
The hurricane agency said it expects Florence will dump up to another 25 centimeters of rain on central and western North Carolina, on top of the 38 to 50 centimeters that has already fallen on the region. It said the additional rain will “produce catastrophic flash flooding, prolonged significant river flooding, and an elevated risk for landslides in western North Carolina and far southwest Virginia.”