Students at a university in Louisiana are helping residents of the Carolinas as they begin cleanup after Hurricane Florence. Northwestern State University biology professor Dr. Curt Phifer is spearheading an effort to collect supplies for cleanup buckets. The buckets will then be taken to affected disaster areas through the United Methodist Center on Relief in Baldwin. Phifer says he’s asking every campus group to put together at least one bucket to donate to the relief…

Thousands of people are still in shelters in North Carolina anxiously waiting to find out if they have a home to go back to. Heavy rains and swelling rivers are still a major concern as rising flood waters may affect communities barely touched by Florence. The storm is being blamed for at least 37 deaths in three states. BY THE NUMBERS —Storm deaths: Florence is being blamed for at least 37 deaths in three states,…

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — Fayetteville city officials expect the Cape Fear River to crest overnight at 61.6 feet. Residents continue to monitor river levels from afar as NCDOT shut down the Person Street bridge as a safety precaution. “I’ve never seen it quite this high and even with Matthew, it was 53 feet and we’ve surpassed that quite a bit,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin. “NCDOT closed it today to vehicular traffic so this is…

About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials. The N.C. Department of Agriculture issued the livestock mortality totals Tuesday, as major flooding is continuing after the slow-moving storm’s drenching rains. Sixteen North Carolina rivers were at major flood stage Tuesday, with an additional three forecasted…

While Hurricane Florence barreled through the Carolinas, a different type of storm was brewing within the federal disaster relief agency tasked with responding to the fallout. The fate of Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was cast in doubt with revelations that he was being investigated by Homeland Security’s internal watchdog and a congressional committee for the possible misuse of government vehicles. The watchdog, the inspector general’s office, has turned the…

LUMBERTON, N.C. (WTVD) — Cathy Johnson, an employee at the Lumberton Country Inn & Suites feels violated twice by Hurricane Florence’s impact. MORE: Full coverage of Hurricane Florence First by the storm’s fury and then by thieves. “It’s devastating,” Johnson said. Since Friday, Johnson and her husband, Lon, have been taking care of storm evacuees at her hotel after guests were flooded out of a nearby hotel. “We gave them love and nourishment. We don’t…

Quick observations from the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-1 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday in the first preseason game for both teams. — Rod Brind’Amour is 1-0 as a head coach. OK, unofficial, a preseason game, doesn’t count, yada, yada. But 1-0. — Andrei Svechnikov now has played against NHL competition, gotten his first good taste of what’s to come. The Russian forward, the Canes’ first-round draft pick this year, has the power and showed off…

More than 120 shelters across North Carolina opened as Hurricane Florence lashed the coast. Many have closed, some remain open. FIND A FULL LIST OF AVAILABLE SHELTERS HERE. Downloading the ABC11 app is the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest conditions from Hurricane Florence. Wake County Wake County will close its three remaining shelters on Monday, Sept. 17, since the threat of Florence has diminished. This decision comes after N.C. Emergency Management brought…

On the eve of his visit to the Carolinas to survey damage from Hurricane Florence, President Donald Trump thanked first-responders and described the storm as “nasty” in a taped message from the White House. Trump posted the video to his Twitter account, and many mocked him for appearing to say the storm was “one of the wettest we’ve ever seen from the standpoint of water.” His sentence could be read like this. “This is a…

Kavanaugh declines to shake Parkland parent’s hand Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jamie Guttenberg who was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., left, attempts to shake hands with President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, right.

Coast Guard rescue swimmer investigates truck in dangerous flooding Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jordon Shevlin, a rescue swimmer from Air Station Atlantic City, NJ., gets battered and buffeted to investigate a truck caught in dangerous flooding in the wake of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 16, 2018.