WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – The Latest on Florence’s lingering impact (all times local):
11 p.m.
Authorities confirm two detainees drowned when a van was swept away in rising flood waters in South Carolina.
Floodwaters inundate homes after Florence struck the Carolinas, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Conway, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Horry County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Brooke Holden says a sheriff’s office van was carrying two detainees and two deputies from Conway to Darlington on Tuesday night when it was overtaken by flood waters. Officials say the van was traveling near the Little Pee Dee River, one of the bodies of water officials in South Carolina are watching closely as water continues to poor into the state from upriver in North Carolina following the heavy rains of Florence.
Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson confirmed to AP earlier Tuesday that two women died in the incident. Their names have not been released.
Holden says the deputies tried to get the detainees out but couldn’t open the doors. High-water rescue teams plucked the deputies from the top of the van.
The incident is being investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division.
Forecasters predict some rivers in the northeastern area of the state might not reach their highest levels until later this week or next week.
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10:30 p.m.
North Carolina’s governor is pleading with thousands of Hurricane Florence evacuees to be patient and not return home just yet.
Wilmington is still mostly an island surrounded by floodwaters, and people are waiting for hours for handouts of necessities like food.
Gov. Roy Cooper told a news conference Tuesday is was hard for residents to leave home, and it’s even harder for them to wait to go back. But Cooper says many roads are dangerous and new hazards are possible as floodwaters fall.
Officials say about 10,000 people are in shelters, and a new one is opening in one hard-hit county.
Aides say President Donald Trump will visit North Carolina on Wednesday to see the damage. He’s already tweeted that any criticism of the government response is a “total lie.”
Members of the Civil Air Patrol load cars with MREs, (Meals Ready To Eat) water and tarps at distribution area in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Kenny Babb retrieves a paddle that floated away on his flooded property as the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
People wait for a distribution area to open and hand out MREs, water and tarps in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Dianna Wood, embraces her husband Lynn, as they look out over their flooded property as the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. “I’m still hopeful,” said Lynn about his home which currently has water up to the front step. “In another foot, I’ll be heartbroken,” he added. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Russell Maloy walks over a railway bridge near his home to check the level of the Cape Fear River which has been rising in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Fayetteville, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Blockade Runner Beach Resort concierge Rodney Vanek lays out rugs to dry in front of the hotel in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The hotel had water in some of the rooms from Hurricane Florence. (Matt Born/The Star-News via AP)
Catherine Riggs, holds her grandson Luke Humphrey as she listens to a briefing aboard a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in Burgaw , N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The family was rescued by the crew and taken to a shelter in Wilmington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
A member of the Civil Air Patrol helps Jack Thompson, right, with a carton of MREs (Meals Ready To Eat) water and tarps at distribution area in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
People walk away after receiving MREs, (Meals Ready To Eat) water and tarps at distribution area in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Vehicles are backed up along N.C. Highway 301 while attempting to navigate to Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018 following flooding and road closures resulting from Hurricane Florence. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
People wait for a distribution area to open and hand out MREs, water and tarps in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Members of the Civil Air Patrol load cars with MREs, water and tarps at distribution area in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Customers line up outside Rose Ice and Coal Co. to purchase bags of ice in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
A member of the Civil Air Patrol brings in pallets of MREs and water to hand out at a distribution area in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
A resident surveys a road inundated by water in Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, following flooding from Hurricane Florence. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Lumber River overflows onto a stretch Interstate 95 in Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, following flooding from Hurricane Florence. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
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