A South Carolina woman was forced to evacuate for Florida because of Hurricane Florence. Ashleigh Gilleland, and her fiancé David, traveled from Myrtle Beach to Sarasota to escape the deadly storm, the 21-year-old told The State in an interview via Facebook and email. As Gilleland left a Sarasota restaurant, she discovered a note and gift waiting on her windshield, she posted on Facebook. It was left there by a stranger, a Florida resident who wrote…

The tariffs President Trump has slapped on imports from China, Canada and other countries — as well as new tariffs he is expected to announce late Monday — are almost certain to make it more expensive for homeowners in the Carolinas to rebuild and refurnish after Hurricane Florence. While prices naturally rise after a natural disaster, given the spike in demand for building materials, Trump’s trade war has already boosted costs for imported plywood and…

If you’d like to help out those in the Carolinas who have been impacted by Hurricane Florence, here’s your chance. ABC11 Together and the American Red Cross are teaming up on Tuesday, September 18, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a Hurricane Florence Relief Drive. Since it made landfall on Friday as a Category 1 storm, Florence has impacted countless lives in the region, and its impact continues to grow. Cities to our southeast,…

Sky 5 started in Durham on Hillandale Road at Sprunt Avenue, not far from Interstate 85. There, an overflowing Ellerbe Creek roared across Hillandale Golf Course and down into the street. In Chapel Hill, receding waters Monday morning were buffeted by the gusty winds from Florence’s rain bands. At nearby Umstead Park, Bolin Creek had blown its banks, turning a playground into a water park. More On This

The Latest on Tropical Depression Florence (all times local): 3:20 p.m. Virginia officials say a tornado touched down and damaged three properties in the southern part of the state near the border with North Carolina. Virginia Department of Emergency Management State Coordinator Jeff Stern said the tornado touched down in Mecklenburg County on Monday. Stern said there were no reports of injuries, and two homes and a trailer were damaged. Much of the western part…

Both the Wake County, Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school systems announced that schools will reopen Tuesday after having been closed for three days due to Hurricane Florence. Durham school officials announced that schools will open Tuesday on a two-hour delay “to ensure that our facilities are prepared and roads are safe following today’s rainfall.” Durham reopened Monday, but issued an apology to parents when conditions worsened on the roads more than they anticipated. Schools will…