EMBED </>More Videos <iframe width=”476″ height=”267″ src=”https://abc11.com/video/embed/?pid=4215003″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe> When the electricity goes out during a storm, avoid downed power lines. Power lines hidden in floodwaters can also pose an electrocution risk. (AP Photo/Tim Aylen)

Driving into Rockingham, with rain flying sideways, traffic stopped dead and my phone beeping flash-flood warnings, I knew I’d made a terrible mistake. I tried to drive through Hurricane Florence, and now I was stuck. Before you call me stupid, let me explain. As a reporter, I’ve slogged through Hurricanes Fran, Floyd and Matthew. As a cautious father, I gave up risk-taking around the time I sprouted gray hair. As an avid backpacker, I understand…

One of the main concerns with Hurricane Florence is the amount of flooding the storm is bringing across the state. Those floodwaters can contain sewage, chemicals, metal, and even glass. And if that isn’t bad enough, there could be snakes too. Environmentalist Wilma Subra told CNN sewage can cause boils or rashes on parts of the body that are submerged for extended periods of time, such as legs, while chemicals can cause rashes and burning…

As remnants of Florence continued to batter the Carolinas Sunday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned that “the risk to life is rising with the angry waters.” Rivers continued to rise as much of eastern North Carolina remained flooded and the danger of flash floods spread throughout the state. The National Weather Service warned of possible tornadoes in the east as well as landslides in the mountains. Access to Wilmington was completely cut off by…

EMBED </>More Videos <iframe width=”476″ height=”267″ src=”https://abc11.com/video/embed/?pid=4244525″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe> Here’s how much rain North Carolina can expect by the time Hurricane Florence leaves the state. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Florence, now a tropical depression, is still a dangerous storm and is expected to dump excessive rainfall on wide areas of North Carolina and South Carolina, causing historic flooding. Officials also say the storm could kick up a few tornadoes on its trek across the region. The storm has reached the height of danger, Governor Roy Cooper said in a press conference on Sunday afternoon. “The storm has never been more dangerous than it is…

Drowning might be the most obvious flood danger, but it’s far from the only one, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Floodwaters left in North Carolina and South Carolina in the wake of pounding rains from Florence, now a tropical depression, can contain all sorts of hidden dangers, experts warn. “The water is not going to be safe, both from chemical and biological contamination,” said Jeff Schlegelmilch, deputy director of the…

Eleven people have died in North Carolina because of Hurricane Florence, and Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents Sunday to beware of treacherous flash flooding for days to come. “Flood waters are still raging across our state,” Cooper said at a noon news conference. “As this storm continues to churn through North Carolina, it has dumped more than two feet or more in many places,” Cooper said. He said that’s enough to inundate areas that have…

At least 10 people have died in North Carolina because of Hurricane Florence, and Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents Sunday to beware of treacherous flash flooding in the days to come. “Flood waters are still raging across our state,” Cooper said at a noon press conference. “As this storm continues to churn through North Carolina, it has dumped more than two feet or more in many places,” Cooper said. He said that’s enough to inundate…