A South Carolina nursing home employee took a credit card belonging to a 94-year-old Hurricane Michael evacuee and then made fraudulent charges on the card, according to deputies. Candida Benita Chin, 45, of Sumter, is charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said in a release Thursday. Warrants say that between Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, at Blue Ridge Healthcare in Sumter, Chin took a credit card belonging to a…

The official death toll for Hurricane Florence in North Carolina has risen to 41, after a 69-year-old man in Robeson County whose home was damaged in the storm took his own life, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. State officials are being more careful to count deaths that may be indirectly caused by the storm, including people who died during evacuations or cleanup. The man in Robeson County is the second suicide…

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Durham families that suffered damages during Hurricane Florence could receive hundreds of dollars in food benefits. The United States Department of Agriculture approved emergency food subsidies for Durham County Department of Social Services. From Nov. 1-9, with the exception of Election Day (Nov. 6), Durham County DSS offices will be accepting applications for the food benefits. ABC11 Hurricane Florence coverage Families will receive different amounts depending on their size. For example,…

A line of storms is moving across the Deep South, bringing threats of tornados and delaying schools in Louisiana. The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that storms stretched from southern Louisiana across Mississippi and into western Alabama. Tornado warnings were posted in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, based on radar indications. There were no immediate reports of tornado touchdowns early Thursday. A tornado watch was in effect for southeastern Louisiana and most of Mississippi…

RALEIGH, N.C. — State officials now say the damage in North Carolina from Hurricane Florence has approached $17 billion, an increase from a previous estimate. The Office of State Budget and Management said in a news release the new figure, updated from $13 billion, is based on new data from the N.C. Department of Insurance. A news release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said, compared to previous storms in North Carolina, damage from Florence is…