Hurricane Florence32 dead, 500,000 homes without power, Wilmington virtually cut off

Emergency crews have been busy Monday and today in many cities across the Carolinas as both residents and the authorities were trying to cope with the aftermath of a record rainfall. The water damaged tens of thousands of homes, and floodwaters may not recede for days.

The New York Times notes that even as the remnants of Hurricane Florence pulled away, it was clear that the turmoil had only begun.

Wilmington, one of North Carolina’s largest cities, has been largely cut off. Floodwaters pushed ever higher in some communities as rivers crested and water rushed downstream.

Curfews are still in effect in many places, and thousands of people remained out of their homes with no certainty of when they would be able to return.

CBS News summarizes what we know so far:

·  At least 32 people have died in storm-related incidents — 25 in North Carolina, 6 in South Carolina and 1 in Virginia

·  About 500,000 homes and businesses are still without power, mostly in North Carolina but some in South Carolina

·  As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, Florence was a post-tropical cyclone. It was located about 105 miles west-northwest of New York City with maximum sustained winds of 25 mph, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says

·  The remnants of Florence are expected to produce heavy to potentially excessive rainfall through Tuesday,” NHC says. “Portions of the northern mid-Atlantic states northeast through southern New England are expected to receive an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain, with isolated maximum amounts of 4 inches possible.”

·  The Cape Fear River is set to crest at 62 feet Tuesday

·  Nearly 36 inches of rain has fallen over Elizabethtown, North Carolina, reports CBS Raleigh affiliate WNCN-TV. Other towns have seen roughly 30 inches since Thursday