US President Donald Trump has declared a disaster in North Carolina where a storm has killed 11 people amid warnings the worst is far from over.
Florence's top sustained winds have weakened to 45mph (72km/h) but it is projected to bring further catastrophic flash flooding.
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| Aerial photos show the extent of the flooding in New Bern |
Some towns have already had over 2ft (60cm) of rain, and forecasters warn that totals could hit 3.5ft (1m).
Nearly a million householders have no electricity in the Carolinas.
On the other side of the world, meanwhile, at least 14 people died as Typhoon Mangkhut ripped through the Philippines.
President Trump's disaster declaration for eight North Carolina counties frees up federal funding including grants for property repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured losses.
About 9,700 National Guard troops and civilians have been deployed with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats.
The president may travel to the region next week, the White House has said.
What do we know of the victims?
Eleven people have died as a result of Florence, the Associated Press reports, quoting officials.
Among the fatalities in North Carolina:
- A mother and her child were killed in Wilmington when a tree fell on their home on Friday. The infant's father was taken to hospital for injuries
- A 78-year-old man was electrocuted in Lenoir County while attempting to connect extension cords
- A 77-year-old man in the same county died when he was blown down by high winds while checking on his hunting dogs
- A woman died from cardiac arrest in the town of Hampstead after emergency responders had their route to her blocked by downed trees
- In South Carolina, a 62-year-old woman died when her car hit a tree that had fallen across a road in the town of Union.
How bad is the damage?
Nearly 950,000 customers have no electricity in the Carolinas, the News & Observer reports.More than 22,600 people in North Carolina have been housed in 150 shelters such as churches, schools and a basketball arena.
The riverside town of New Bern (population 30,000) suffered massive flooding
"If you are not watching the waters they do rise very quickly, giving you very little time to get out," public information officer Colleen Roberts told BBC World News.
She said over 4,000 homes had been "destroyed or completely damaged", based on calls they had received for emergency services.
"That's preliminary at this point. And we have 300 businesses that are damaged or destroyed. We had a very popular lifestyle and winter wear company that people loved and the roof collapsed under the weight of rainwater," she said.
"New Bern is a quaint historic down town, about ten square blocks, and it was significantly under water during this storm in ways that most people have never seen since they've been here."
Where is the storm heading?
The centre of the storm moved slowly westward on Saturday across the Carolinas, bringing further heavy rain and flooding. the US National Hurricane Center says.
It is expected to weaken gradually as it moves inland, heading northwards through the Ohio valley by Monday.
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