For the past decade North Carolina has faced the grim prospect of a hurricane so enormous and destructive that residents in every county of the state would be on the hook financially for the recovery. Residents statewide could be charged for hurricane damage that didn’t touch their homes, under a 2009 state law created as a safeguard against increasingly violent windstorms that could obliterate the runaway development along the state’s coastline. That year the legislature…

By CLAIRE GALOFARO, AP National Writer LUMBERTON, N.C. — She takes a break from hauling rugs and family heirlooms into the attic to look out the front door and watch it rain and rain and rain some more. Nichole Worley studies the house across the street, abandoned and boarded up, and the creek just behind it that made it that way. It jumped its banks during Hurricane Matthew two years ago, which drowned her neighborhood,…

Tropical Storm Florence is continuing to drop torrential rain across the state Saturday as the system moves into South Carolina. While clean-up has started in many areas, water rescues are still underway and hundreds of people are still in survival mode. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, while strong winds were the focus on Friday, “heavy rain is the story today.” At a glance: Many North Carolina residents are dealing with flooding after Florence made…

The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles Saturday to rescue scores of people trapped by Florence’s shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: widespread, catastrophic flooding inland.ABC11 is providing live, nonstop coverage of Hurricane Florence. For regular programming go to 11.2. Click here for how to find 11.2 There have been at least seven people confirmed killed…

Down power line and tree catch on fire in Hurricane Florence aftermath Sep 15, 2018 Cypress Pointe Fire & Rescue posted a video on Facebook of a electric power line catching on fire after a tree fell on it near Cameron, NC. The incident was one of the many examples of destruction caused by Hurricane Florence across North Carolina. By

Moore County schools will close on Monday, Sept. 17 due to severe weather conditions. Cumberland County schools will also be closed on Monday. A make-up day will be designated at a later time. CCS’ personnel are working to survey any damage caused by the storm and to begin any necessary preparations to ensure our buildings and buses are in good condition for students and staff to return to school. Last week, Wake County schools, Chapel…

By Tyler Dukes, WRAL investigative reporter, and Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Emergency management officials say they’re closely monitoring the state’s inland creeks and rivers as Tropical Storm Florence continues its lumbering curve across the western part of North Carolina. And even as partly sunny skies return next week, much of the flooding danger isn’t predicted to peak until days after the storm’s rainfall is long gone. “More people now face imminent…

Cumberland County schools will be closed on Monday, Sept. 17 due to severe weather conditions. Wake County schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Durham Public Schools closed on Thursday and Friday ahead of Hurricane Florence. View a full list of school closings here. CCS’ Prime Time before- and after-school care program will close two hours after schools dismiss. RELATED: Universities cancel classes, sporting events in jeopardy ahead of Hurricane Florence The school system will be…

Meg Baker DeMolet said she was taking her dog Rosie for one last walk Friday evening before Tropical Storm Florence brought the real heavy stuff her way in Seven Lakes, N.C. It was already raining, and the wind had picked up, but the 57-year-old kindergarten teacher and her 6-year-old lab/shepherd mix wanted to get out one more time before having to hunker down. “It started raining harder, but she was pulling me really hard toward…

CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — While North Carolinians evacuated the coast for Hurricane Florence, the wild horses stayed put. Ahead of the storm, tourists in Currituck County, where the horses live, were evacuated Tuesday morning. According to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the horses remained on the island. Downloading the ABC11 app is the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest conditions from Hurricane Florence. “The horses have lived on this barrier island for…

The Latest on Tropical Storm Florence (all times local): Authorities in North Carolina are reporting two more weather-related deaths. The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page on Saturday that two people died due to “flash flooding and swift water on roadways.” The Associated Press was unable to get details because the sheriff’s office phone line was not working. The deaths bring the death toll from Florence, which came ashore on Friday as…