Raleigh North Carolina News

Horses found neck-deep in flood waters Two horses at risk of drowning were rescued from flood waters caused by Hurricane Florence, according to animal charity Guardians of Rescue.Footage shared on September 19 shows the animals neck deep in what the charity said was eight feet of water.

ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee was in the middle of it all when Hurricane Michael made landfall, saying it’s something she has never seen before. “My heart is racing, I have never, George, seen something like an entire home, a well-built home, rolling down the street,” Zee said to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. Zee later tweeted that they later lost the ability to broadcast but that she and her crew were safe. Watch live…

The Latest on Hurricane Michael (all times Eastern): 3:05 p.m. Officials in South Carolina say they are more concerned about tornadoes than flooding from Hurricane Michael. The National Weather Service says tornadoes are possible across the Florida Panhandle, southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina through Thursday morning as Michael moves inland. Beaufort County Emergency Management Division Commander Neil Baxley says the tornadoes can spin up fast with little warning in the rainbands of the weakening…

By Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper called Wednesday for $1.5 billion in state funding to recover from Hurricane Florence, saying “an unprecedented storm requires an unprecedented response.” Preliminary damage estimates from the storm are nearly $13 billion, Cooper said. That’s about what the damage estimates were from hurricanes Matthew and Floyd combined. Much of the figure is based on computer mapping for floodwaters and wind, not in-person inspections that…

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — A beachfront building under construction partially collapsed Wednesday as strong winds from Hurricane Michael lashed Florida’s Gulf Coast. Video shot by WDRB meteorologist Marc Weinberg showed the building as it began to buckle under the high winds. It also appeared that storm surge had moved inland past the first row of buildings on the coast. On Twitter, Sarah Fenn said her family owned the home the building had collapsed onto….

As Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday, NASA showed what the storm looks like from above. The 400-mile-wide storm came ashore with 155 mph winds, making it the strongest to hit the U.S. in nearly half a century. On Tuesday, NASA shared what the storm looked like when it was still in the Gulf of Mexico.The storm is expected to quickly move north along the East Coast in the next few days. PHOTOS: Hurricane Michael…

Durham Public Schools, Johnston County schools and Orange County schools will be closed Thursday due to the threat of heavy rain and wind from the pending arrival of Hurricane Michael. Durham announced Wednesday afternoon that classes will be canceled Thursday due to the probability of travel conditions become unsafe during the school day. Durham school leaders faced criticism last month for reopening schools when travel conditions were unsafe after the arrival of Hurricane Florence. The…

Several Triangle schools are closing on Thursday due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Michael. On Wednesday afternoon, Durham Public Schools, Johnston County schools and Orange County schools all announced they’ll be closed Thursday. Durham school official cited the “probability of travel conditions becoming unsafe during the school day.” All extracurricular and athletic activities have been canceled Thursday in those districts. Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning in 66 North Carolina…

As Hurricane Michael makes landfall on the Florida panhandle and heads toward North Carolina, some area district schools have decided to take preventative measures. Durham, Cumberland, Lee, Wayne and Moore County schools will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 11 ahead of the hurricane. View a full list of school closings here. In addition, Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools have decided to close three hours early. Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News…

Supercharged by abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday with potentially catastrophic winds of 155 mph, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland. Michael came ashore near Mexico Beach, a tourist town about midway along the Panhandle, a lightly populated, 200-mile stretch of white-sand beach resorts, fishing towns and military bases. Can’t see the stream above from ABC News? Watch…

Owner reunited with dogs rescued in Hurricane Florence Jack Denton is reunited with his dogs, AC/DC and Babes, at the Cause for Paws in Zebulon, NC. AC/DC and Babes were rescued from a roof of a flooded home in Newport by members of Cause for Paws on Sept. 15.

By Alfred Charles, online managing editor Raleigh, N.C. — Hurricane Michael is making landfall along the Florida Panhandle after strengthening into a Category 4 storm early Wednesday. Top things to know about the storm: Gov. Roy Cooper has placed North Carolina under a state of emergency. The Triangle could see 3-6 inches of rain in a short time, which could cause flash flooding. Wind gusts could range between 30 and 60 mph, knocking down trees…

Gaining fury with every passing hour, Hurricane Michael closed in Wednesday on the Florida Panhandle with potentially catastrophic winds of 150 mph, the most powerful storm on record ever to menace the stretch of fishing towns, military bases and spring-break beaches.Can’t see the stream above from ABC News? Watch here. VIDEO: Heavy rain, strong winds pound Panama City ahead of Hurricane Michael With more than 375,000 people up and down the Gulf Coast warned to…

RALEIGH, N.C. — Hurricane Florence left behind nearly $13 billion in damage, as much as Floyd and Matthew combined, according to Gov. Roy Cooper. Legislators unanimously passed last week two Florence-related bills that provided $50 million in matching funds for federal disaster assistance and eased voter registration and school calendar rules in affected areas. Congress also approved an initial disaster aid bill last week that earmarks $1 billion for North Carolina. Cooper spoke Wednesday about…

The Latest on Hurricane Michael (all times Eastern): Noon: Hurricane Michael will weaken once its core hits land and stops drawing strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But forecasters say it won’t dissipate quickly. In fact, Michael is expected to whip parts of Alabama and Georgia with hurricane-force winds as it travels north. The National Hurricane Center expects Michael to hold tropical storm strength through Thursday as it crosses the Carolinas….