that happened in new bern. this is the rain coming up to new bern.me talking about new bern because of the surge. you have the trent and the neuse. they come together at new bern. we have water up the trent. water up the neuse. flooding new bern. we have 1 foot surge yesterday. the water level was by the park that delia gallagher was on yesterday. we saw the amazing shots. she was in the water. time to get out. we went from 1 to 11. 11 feet above where it was before the live shot started yesterday. that's new bern. this is the area we are talking here. not even along, but the area we know as the coastal area. this is the coast. this is where we go anywhere from topsail beach to emerald isle to atlantic beach to morehead beach. the boxes are there because they are flood warnings. i can't get them off. john, what you have going for you is the eyewall itself. here is the eye. right there. you are on the worst part of it right now. eyewall coming your way. surf city, you are in it now. we are beginning to push water toward atlantic beach and over top of

we saw flooding there in new bern 12 hours ago. and so they are in a dire situation, let's hear right now from the public information officer of craven county which is where new bern is located. we'll get to that i n a second. it's a small town relatively small of 30,000 people and heard of many rescues and that are taking place right now. but in some situations, it's really difficult to get there. so here's that -- here's amber from craven county. >> storm surge in new bern and other areas of craven county, we've had swift water rescues that started yesterday and rescues them from adams creek and township seven and there are some areas now where it's not safe for us to reach. >> yeah, and we saw that there at least 150 people that the city of new bern put out that are still in desperate need of rescuing. do you imagine that that number has grown? are there a lot of people in need of rescuing right now? >> there are calls still coming in. i don't have an exact number but know we have near 100 calls for assistance. >> and talk a lit

that is what people in new bern are dealing with. what are the specifics your hearing from residents? the first floor of the home is full of water? it is coming through the windows and doors? >> my daughter next door has water in her house. we have been here in this area for 18 years, we have never seen this. my parents talk about hurricane hazel and you can't help but think sometime there could be another one and we have got it here. we had another one that was a little higher in new bern. i read was pretty tight, 7 to 8 feet so this one was three feet higher than irene. the thing with irene, it came and went. this one will be here for a while. conditions are such that we went first responders to be safe and have to wait on this whether a little bit. cruising from out of state, we have some rescue, water rescue teams in town so they are working with the fire department, leaving it to the emergency operations center, we are going to keep working on getting our citizens safe and to a shelter. >> the city of new bern center tweet, you

new bern. 80 miles north of where i am. calls for spoke to a volunteer from the cajun navy, and some 500 calls, the rescue crews cannot go out in this kind of weather, not yet at least. they are staging and getting red 83 to help when they can. we have been on the phone all morning with people trapped inside their homes and they have moved to the upper floors to remain safe while they can. this is just the beginning. there will be days of this, two days of this, moving down to south carolina over the next day and a half. cnn, we have crews up and down the coast here at hurricane florence bears down. want to go to chris cuomo, a heck of a day to choose for alumni day on "new day" chris as the storm hits. >> reporter: happy to help out. you are doing a good job, j.b. stay safe and keep the crew safe, and you are our future here. j.b. and i have been on since 3:00 a.m. eastern standard time, and it has changed here during that time. it was dry and breezy. now you are getting gusts, that's just 45 miles per hour. what will this

i wanted to see new bern. new bern is a little break from a band. it's a break they have not had for, what, five or six hours now. so it doesn't mean they're not getting rain and not getting wind, they are but not in the worst banding that's coming onshore right now. that's reserved for jacksonville who is getting it and also wilmington and you just look for those shades of the orange and yellow and red to see where the worst part is. >> several miles wide affecting, of course, millions of people but a big concern that we've seen throughout the morning is the flooding. once that water makes its way into these towns, it's got nowhere to go. >> we have 2.9 million people underneath the hurricane wa warnings of this storm. but more people are going to be affected. you're right, inland areas, it doesn't have to be the hurricane-force winds to be a problem. we're talking about the entire state of north carolina, the entire state of south carolina having problems with flooding and there will be some areas, the areas under those bands that you're looking a

craven county, which is the town of new bern. a lot of people are familiar with the historic town of new bern. >> we have heard those reports of the rescues that are taking place there in new bern, the attempted rescues. do you kind of get a sense that people in that town and elsewhere, not trying to knock on them at all, but that they didn't necessarily prepare properly for this? we're getting so many reports of people who are out on rooftops and in their cars. >> honestly, this storm, we saw a lot of people that did heed warnings of evacuations earlier this evening. we had approximately 12,000 people that were in shelters. so we do feel like a lot of people did heed warnings. some people may have not had a choice, may have had obligations in their area or some people just don't want to leave their homes, they feel safer in their homes. and so some people just chose to wait it out. >> we were told there was 10 feet of floodwater that went through the town of new bern. speaking of that, right now, pamela, it looks like just under

i'm making a mark on new bern right there. here's the same area getting the same rain for the next 12 hours. that is what happens when you don't have an eye that moves. it just pours in. it is is almost like a training thunderstorm, but it is a hurricane. atlantic beach down river from the river up there has picked up 22 inches of rainfall. rainfall proper. obviously the water getting poured through. there is the hieye, john, 22 mis to your east. for the most of the night, we did not have real precip from inside the outer eyewall. we are getting a new inner eyewall. that means the storm is trying to pick up strength. the storm is trying to get a deeper, lower pressure. it hasn't gone down. we don't mention this much. for the weather geeks. pressure is 953 millibars. that is a strong cat two or low cat three. this is still a cat three surge storm. it is getting close to the shore and close to the coast. it is not being interrupted. most of the storm is way offshore. this is the warm water of the gulfstream. we talked about up w

that is what i want to get out, there is a focus on new bern.is likely the situation is the same in other surrounding areas like jacksonville and other low-lying areas surrounded by rivers. it all feeds down here. and 24, 36 hours hopefully this stops, the ocean water goes back out to sea, in land that water has nowhere to go, rivers exploding. this water will become very unhealthy very quickly. it will be a situation and a big disaster. heather: i don't think you can hear me so i won't ask any questions but important for him to stay safe. keep us updated on what is going on. the white house send 4000 government workers to be involved in the efforts to prepare and clean up after florence. they were sending in 1000 workers but once again if you are listening and you saw griff talking about the situation in new bern, north carolina, lots of people trapped, swift water rescues underway to get those people out and they are saying they need more help to rescue those people. hopefully that will happen and we will keep you updated as it develops. as hu

. >> the emergency situation right now in new bern, north carolina. hundreds are trapped in homes, on roof n. cars. we're speaking with some of them live as rescue crews and the volunteer cajun navy race to save them. >> now fears growing of catastrophic flooding. up to 40 inches ofrain. a month's worth in just a few days. power already knock the out for hundreds of thousands. we're tracking the monster storm as it barrels ashore on our air. our team right there in the storm zone. a special edition of "good morning america" starts now. >> announcer: live in times square and across the storm zone this is a special of "gma," hurricane florence, state of emergency. >>> good morning, america. let's get right to that breaking news. hurricane florence has hit the east coast right now. want to take a live look at wilmington, north carolina, right there. we have amy robach there. our correspondents, you see the wind is picking up across wilmington right now. the rain coming down. hurricane florence hit as a category 1. >> we'll talk to ginger but it's roaring

in new bern, north carolina. going down a city street as we await the brand new update from the national hurricane center in miami. there are changes to report on this hurricane. direction change, central pressure change, wind speed change. for all of it, let's go straight to miami and the director of the national hurricane center standing by live now, here is ken graham. >> walking back to the national hurricane center, this is ken graham in operations with the hurricane specialist behind me continuing to look at several different systems. one in particular hurricane florence. right now it's 2:00 eastern. this is your update on

others in new bern and elsewhere. throughout today and no doubt will continue tonight.

there are rescues under way in new bern.out of their home if they can because the storm surge could come back. >> yeah. listen, john. it's no surprise the technology is suffering with 92 miles an hour wind gusts and the torrential rain that you have been experiencing there for the past six hours that you have been on live television, just doing an incredible job for us and for all of our viewers, showing us what is happening in north carolina and up and down the coastline there. and of course our thoughts are with all the people in new bern and with the people in any of these towns where the flooding is starting and people are quite worried, including chad myers who has been telling us for days about this storm surge. that is not survivable for many people. the thought that so many people are trapped right now on the upper floors of their roofs waiting for people to come rescue them is scarey and heart-breaking. we're waiting for updates for authorities on the ground to make sure those 150 people you heard from the public in

we are hearing about new bern and listening to the broadcast, and we have been talking about new bern for two or three, maybe four days, and we are close to landfall. wilmington is seeing the eyewall, and the expanse is pushing the water in and that's part of the problem. the storm surge could be miles and miles inland because the winds are so strong and it's piling up the water. >> reporter: we are in north myrtle beach, so we are still waiting for the future here in terms of what happens. we have about 40, 45-mile-per-hour gusts, and we have not dealt with the high tide. the water is getting forced by the winds here away from the shore, so we will see what kind of sling shot there is, but the anchor of the show, john berman, he's getting the worst of it, and while we are waiting for him to get his shot back up how many hours of the worst of it will people in and around that area have to ev have to endure? we can see his shot right now. how long will it be for the people? >> that's part of the problem, you have large slow storm and those are the slow ones independent of the category,

at least one home has caught fire in the town of hard hit new bern. new video shows the firefighters tackling the flames in the harsh conditions. at least 190,000 people are without power. that number will grow. >>> also in new bern at the bridge point hotel and marina, cars, we've seen, under water and the buildings there surrounded by water as well. you can see it there in that video. now in north topsail the gas station collapsing in high winds. >> there's damage at this high school where school started for -- the school year started for many opportunities . you can see water all over the floor. it's been a very, very busy morning and this storm is not done yet. it is still hugging the coastline of the carolinas. there have been some indications that it is nowhere near weakening at this point. abc's victor oquendo can tell you that for sure because he's in the thick of it in jacksonville, north carolina. sure has not weakened in his shot. victor. >> reporter: not at all, kendis. it's been a busy morning and very long night here. these winds are onl

up to 10 feet in new bern, north carolina. rescue crews have been called in to save hundreds of people who have been trapped. >> our weather team is spread out all over the storm zone, and we'll begin with our "world news tonight" anchor, david muir. once again, it's acting up there. good morning, david. >> reporter: yeah. this is the backside of the hurricane we're now seeing, robin. as you know, the front side, that eye wall generally brings the most destructive wind and rain which is what we saw in the early morning hours as we were on the air. now that we're on the air live in the west, you can see the winds though do continue here, and the rain which is going to be the really big story over the course of this day, and straight through tomorrow for the next 24 to 36 hours. i want to show you the wind actually. dale will spin around and show you the traffic lights and this is how dangerous it is. authorities don't want people on the streets here. that's the biggest wind gust they have had since 1958, since hurricane helene.

over places like new bern, recovering from 10 feet of storm surge. yesterday's stormy weather was too dangerous for most helicopters to fly, but with calmer conditions now, all day, coast guard air crews plucked dozens of people from flood zones. vice admiral scott buschman flew with us over swamped neighborhoods. >> we're not through this storm. there are several more days of rain to come so there may be people that are going to be in distress or are in distress right now. so my advice to you is listen to your local emergency management officials. stay put until it's safe to get outside. >> reporter: at one shelter, an evacuee had a headache. the shelter was surrounded by water. ambulances couldn't reach it. but one of these coast guard helicopters could, jeff, and flew the patient to a hospital in raleigh. >> glor: that's good news. all right, mark, thank you. as you just saw in mark's piece there, one of the areas he flew over was the river-front city of new bern. drone footage shows parts of what new bern have been submerged now by a massive surg

in new bern. this is further up the coast, because of a different wind direction, the wind is pushing water towards the shore, not only on the beach, but up trick ooowtributaries. a gauge measured floodwaters of up to 10 feet in that location. right now where i am in wrightsville beach, we are looking at a lot of rain and a lot of wind as we are beginning to feel the brunt of this storm. back to you. >> jon: all right. we'll check in with you later. thanks very much. the hurricane also impacting atlantic beach, north carolina, producing inland rainfall, flooding, life-threatening storm surge and destructive wind. that's where we find griff jenkins right now. >> good morning. the situation right here, the eye of the storm is just about, from what adam was saying, 30 miles south southwest of where we are here in morehead city. that means the northeast dirty side of the hurricane is putting the wind here. you are seeing the structures blow. the water is significant because we have been watching for t

what happened to new bern? new bern is right there, up the noose river. there is not a drop of water all the way on the east side of pemblico sound. you can see the ground of pemblico sound if you're on the outer banks. it is dry right there. all the water getting pushed and the water not getting to fill that water in. it's already picked up 6 inches of rain, but the wind is pushing the water the other way. that's why that 10 1/2 foot storm surge is already there, and it's not stopping. the rain is continuing and the wind is continuing to push that rain back up the river. so it could go up another couple feet and that would verify the 13 foot storm surge without a doubt. here's the inner eyewall, down to about 70 miles per hour. don't let that fool you because the pressure is still the same as it was yesterday. we've lost the wall, we've lost some wind speed, but we haven't lost the power. the power is just spreading its arms out. sehere's that second eyewall right through wilmington. every time one of those bands or eyewalls come over your area or any ar

in new bern, north carolina.here a boat is going down a city street as we await the brand new update from the national hurricane center in miami. there are changes to report on this hurricane. direction change, central pressure change, wind speed change. for all of it, let's go straight to miami and the director of the national hurricane center standing by live now, here is ken graham. >> walking back to the national hurricane center, this is ken graham in operations with the hurricane specialist behind me continuing to look at several different systems. one in particular hurricane florence. right now it's 2:00 eastern. this is your update on florence. you can see the center is still moving very slow. in fact, the latest information that we had with the aircraft and also looking on radar moving west at only 5 miles per hour. so moving very slowly. so around that center you can see that intense rainfall and also some still gusty winds with the latest information still remaining at 75 miles per hour. so, still a lo

new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. newburn usually sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents on nearly underwater and in need of rescue that's all terrified of my life. it was hard i'm. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and now it's going to hell and how we're going to get out and hopefully we're going to get trapped in the attic and that help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today then when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across four million in our cities and in our towns war people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it floodwaters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risky team about eight hundred miles further nort

two new bern buses behind that.olicemen going door to door asking citizens to get in that bus and get out. because some of the areas of new bern contoured he will ration is su -- he wi, elevation is once th come, we can't get you out. into and that is -- yeah, you can't put first responders in jeopardy because someone else decided to stay. made a decision that could affect their lives and affect others, as well. listen, mayor, i know you're busy and have a lot to deal with. we appreciate you joining us. we'll be getting back to you on cnn. mayor dana outlaw from new bern, property in carolina. let's go to brian todd in hamp stead, north carolina for us. last we saw you, you were out with folks who were hedging their bets really on a flooded street. they decided not to do it which is good news. it looks to me now you're riding around and checking things out and getting updates. what are you seeing? >> well, don, we kind of travel on roads a couple miles away from where we were in the last location on old landing road

ed drove from new bern to jacksonville, new bern, of course, lost all of its power.. now he's in jacksonville. tell us about that drive and what you saw, ed. >> reporter: brutal drive, don. a small country road and normally would take probably just under an hour to do it took us the better part of two hours to complete the drive. we were caught in the middle of a pretty serious rain band on the north side of this storm, what is now a tropical storm. even though the winds have died down considerably, at least in the top part of the storm where we're at in our location, as you can see, the rainfall just continues to be way more intense than i would have expected given that it's been raining for it feels like probably 4 hours in the areas that we have been reporting from over the last few days. so we kind of knew all of this was expected. it's another thing to experience the constant onslaught of this rain that just doesn't seem to end. obviously, that is what is causing so much concern and so many issues in so many parts of north carolina and into south carolina now as

bern as the water has really overturned this. and dana, it's my understanding that all of this water has come right up river and river and inundated your town. >> had about ten and a half feet, it's gone down some now but the concern is we are waiting to see what happened with the tide at about 1:00. >> shepard: i've just gotten an update that this storm is now moving from a forward progress to 6 miles an hour and a slow but that is, it's half as fast as it was an hour ago so it's on the move, but it still looks like you're going to get rain and heavy winds for the better part of half a day here. you know we got up this morning and took a look and we have so many trees and limbs down and the concern is with the ten and a half feet of water coupled with 20 to 40 inches of rain that the ground is so saturated that other trees are going to blow over and we have power lines already down and we're still trying to rescue about 150 residents that did not affect the weight and now we are going in with water rescues to get these folks to

new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents. need of rescue that's all terrified and i. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and how it's going to go and how we're going to get out and hopefully get trapped in the attic and help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago. we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across far. in our cities and in our towns war people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it flood waters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risk about eight hundred miles further north in upstate new york. the storm when it made landfall was huge stretching across most of the east

we are a curfew in new bern, we have 30 roads in but new bern that are still not passable. we have 40,000 homes in new bern that have been damaged. we have over 300 buildings in new bern that have been damaged. now we have had to go to the downtown area and close it down because of the number of folks that are just wanting to get out and ride around. we're trying to get these power lines up. please, don't get in the way of the electrical linemen as they do their job. >> we have an opportunity to speak to the people in washington, so i'm going to give you an opportunity what, do you need in terms of the federal response in new bern. >> president trump and i spoke yesterday and he immediately declared a declaration emergency, and governor cooper has given us those resources to get the recovery processes under way. we have 1,200 residents in shelters right now. and so at this time, again, the major concern is the power line restoration, getting the power back to our customers and keeping folks off of the streets so that we can restore the power. when you're riding around, you'

you are headed towards new bern. i was checking their twitter account the city of new bern.aining 100 rescues trying to do people still trapped there. you are, what, 10 or 20 miles from there. >> exactly. i believe i'm about 15 miles from where i am up this road. moving northwest towards the direction that that woman is dragging that suitcase. and we understand, i spoke with the new bench officials several times this morning and they tell me up there that they are rescuing them. and the big problem that they have got up there when they are getting people actually rescued is where to put them. the marine corps air station cherry point which is very close to new bern has actually opened their doors. they are starting to house some of these people, evacuated out of new bern. but, clearly, and certainly there must be cases that we will learn of people being rescued in this area of newport. the inland town between the coast and morehead city and the northern western city of new bern and actually, i'm not sure if there is quite enough light, mike, you are going to be mad at me if

he was very concerned about what is going on in new bern. know, we have a metro mayors group and we really work very close together and we provide each other resources as needed. so, you know, it is just the outpouring has been tremendous and the cooperation among agencies here in the county has been something to be proud of. >> unfortunately -- but unfortunately up to this point you're the mayor of the town that appears to be hit the hardest, is that correct? >> it is. it is. you know, i'm not -- you know, this is terrible, but we're able to get through it and we'll be better for it. >> we believe you. we believe you, mayor. we will be thinking of you tonight and tomorrow and praying for everybody down there. best of luck to you. mostly, thank you for setting aside a few minutes to let our viewers know about the situation in new bern. >> thanks. >> that's the mayor. >> thanks for your concern, and we will -- yes. >> we'll send some tourists your way once it is cleaned up. >> dana outlaw is mayor of new bern which is sadly in the bulls eye.

we have a lot of rescues under way in new bern.oke to the mayor protem who says they are trying to help people out of their homes who are stuck there. a lot of people who have seen, we spoke to a woman earlier who said she saw refrigerators on the street. they have certainly seen trees down. they have seen power lines down. national guard has suggested that the flooding there is going to be more serious than it was expected to be. i want to go back to wilmington, north carolina. wilmington is a few miles inland from wrightsville beach where this storm came ashore. when i talked to kate a while ago, it calmed down because the eye was above you. what is the situation in wilmington now, kate? >> it's dodgy. it comes and goes. a second ago, i was almost blown off my feet. we are in the northern part of the storm now. if you look at the radar, there's blank areas. lucky to pass through those in a couple hours. it has been windy here all night long. i mean howling, howling hurricane force winds, enough that trying to get a couple hours o

you mentioned new bern. new bern has dealt with a particularly bad situation today.t is 95 miles northeast of here. and kris van cleave is there. kris, what's happening? >> reporter: jeff, new bern is finally getting a break from the rain, but still getting strong winds. and there is water everywhere. block after block has been swamped by florence, and that has prompted a lot of people here to call for help. hurricane-force winds brought a ten-foot storm surge rushing into the riverfront city of new bern. homes looked like islands as roads were inundated. teia cherry and her family thought they could ride out florence at home. then came the water. her mother flagged down a storm chaser with a boat who came to her rescue. >> i was like, nuh-uh, we gotta get out of here. we're not going to make it. >> reporter: the surge left docks in tatters, and damage spread across town. >> i'm looking down on the street, and i'm amazed. i've never seen this kind of damage here. .> reporter: all night and through the storm-battered day, rescue crews worked to pull people who didn't

here is the town of new bern right here.t is just up the river and of course it just flipped away. it is just up the noose river here. if you look here is new bern and here is this river. so all of this water is coming in from the atlantic ocean up this river and flooding this entire area. if you back out just a little bit here from this, this is emerald isle, atlantic beach. look at the totals from those areas and pine knoll shores. their rainfall is 38 inches in two days. flooding across this entire area is an enormous concern keeping in mind the storm right now is right here. so where is it going? it's moving at only 4 miles an hour and moving in this direction. it is about to be over water again. is there a chance of some strengthening? it's not likely but this is where the energy comes from over that warm water. so lots more rain is to come throughout the day, tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night, and into sunday. sandra, a mess ahead for all the faoem along the coast. >> sandra: you mentioned new bern. we spoke to the caj

we're working down in riverbend, city of new bern.'ve been seeing extraordinary rescues, bill, in fact one person in a wheelchair. those must be the toughest. >> we have personnel. they have expertise in swift-water rescue and boating. they were able to get that person really, it was a little challenging but, they got the job done. david: i am guessing hurricane sandy, bill, in 2012 had a lot to do with the formation of the unit or at least perfecting what you guys do? >> you are correct, sir. definitely drove the boat, no pun intended. david: are you seeing conditions similar to what you saw in sandy right now in the carolinas? >> sir, with the water surge and the amount of rain, yes. the terrain is much different. david: in what way? >> here we are and, the great state of north carolina it definitely pose as different type of challenge. terrain is different. we're working with the rings fire department and other local authorities such as fish and wildlife and u.s. army. we have about 102 persons here and we are doing really great wo

new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents. need of rescue that's all terrified of my life. i'm. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and it's going to tell us how we're going to get out and hopefully we're going to get trapped in the attic and help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across four million in our cities and in our towns or people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it floodwaters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risky team about eight hundred miles further north in upstate new york. the storm when it made landfall was huge st

this is new bern, north carolina. it has been one of thereas hardest hit. >> we're going to take a trip around the carolinas. gabe gutierrez is in myrtle beach but we'll start with akmariana in island, north carolina. >> reporter: now we're seeing the flooding that we've been predicting near the beach. i want to show to you my left, for exple, these streets, these mailboxes, you can see. i want my camera man to pan to my left, how high the water has risen in some streets. v it iy hit or miss but it is what we've been talking about. as we keep getting pounded by this rain, this flooding is what we're going to continue to see. it is what many residents who left the island feared about not teing able to come back. i was j on the mayor of oak island and she said bh bridges will remainlosed so nobody can get on or off the islandt the moment. we're starting to see treeson fl top of some cars and some homes.n, age're still getting the brunt of the water. the brunt of the flooding. and we're still a couple hours out from seei

correspondent my schwager standing by in the city of new bern in north carolina how are people coping with the extreme flooding where you are. it's still raining here just a little bit even though the the hurricane has mostly passed us and the winds have died down and i'm actually standing here right now with the mayor of new bern north carolina dana outlaw dana how is the town coping how are people coping with what's been happening well we're just not used to this type of damage we we've had a lot of hurricanes were three hundred years ago the old timers tell me that this is much worse than hurricane hazel in one nine hundred fifty four which was really the worst hurricane anybody has ever remembered recorded. sun what are you expecting in the coming days in terms of cleanup in terms of what the economic impact might be on this town and we don't have any figures in on the economic end of it we do know that forty two hundred homes have been either destroyed or tomar have extensive problems we have about three hundred commercial bins buildings that are that are in really bad shape we'v

i'll take you to new bern. you have been in this band of weather right through here and right now you are not. so it was really amazing to see the live shot right there with very little wind because the shift water rescues today were going on with wind gusts to 60. little rubber boats with winds blowing 60 miles an hour. it is nice to see that has calmed down a little bit for the people that were there. so wilmington airport, a brand-new record for you, 105 miles an hour. looking at you compared to where we were looking at with john berman, it is like you are either in two different spots or he was outside and you are inside because it has changed significantly because the eye has gone down. all morning long where john was the wind was blowing offshore, down the river. now it is beginning to turn around and it will blow up the river stopping that rain from coming down. there is a lot more rain. that's still 20 inches of rain to come. it's still there. this is a big storm. the pressure is still very low. it just

and how much of new bern was under a mandatory evacuation?he mandatory evacuation was issued for all of craven county. and that was issued as a 2:00 p.m. on tuesday. i don't have a percentage of people who chose to evacuate. i do know we have 788 people as of 7:00 p.m. tonight in craven county shelters. and then we also have an inland shelter in sanford where we bust ours selves 107 individuals out to that shelter yesterday. >> no injuries, no fatalities i hope? >> i don't have any information on injuries and fatalities. at this time i have reports of road closures, trees that are down, and individuals calling for assistance. >> amber parker, i know it's a busy night there. thank you so very much for joining us. this is important we're joined by meteorologist bill karins who lived and worked there. new bern is going to get all the water they can handle in this. >> yeah, it means something to say it's worse than irene. that was one of the benchmark storms. water levels higher than that, you're getting into territory people haven't seen. reside

these bands are setting up right over new bern. they've been getting the brunt of this as well as morehead city since yesterday. it's not going to come to an end any time soon. that's going to continue as this storm just inches to the southwest. and this is going to continue to rain all day saturday and then finally by the end of sunday, possibly seeing some of this wrap up and lift to the north. the winds will continue to be an issue, but the big problem is really the storm surge as well as the rain. we have already had rain reports of more than a foot and a half of rain. some areas are getting close to two feet of rain, with oriental getting 20 inches and another update to those numbers are supposed to be coming out any moment. they are going to be much higher than 20 inches because it's been raining nonstop. davis, north carolina got a 108-mile-per-hour wind gusts, so the winds were there, but the main threat was that storm surge. the scary part is this river flooding. as we go into next week, the rivers are going to rapidly ris

steve: new bern is a beautiful town. mike: one of those hurricanes, the water rose so fast they went into their attic's, they -- nobody came. they had a hatchet. moving into survival mode. steve: the u.s. army is out in full force as hurricane florence lashes the carolina coast. the commanding general of the us army corps of engineers tells us how they are responding during these life-threatening conditions. stay with us. nothing says fall like a homecoming football game, so let's promote our fall travel deal on choicehotels.com like this. touchdown. earn a free night when you stay just twice this fall. or, badda book. badda boom. book now at choicehotels.com if you're waiting patiently for a liver transplant, it could cost you your life. it's time to get out of line with upmc. at upmc, living-donor transplants put you first. so you don't die waiting. upmc does more living-donor liver transplants than any other center in the nation. find out more and get out of line today. this wi-fi is fast. i know! i know! i know! i kn

further up the coast in new bern a huge storm surge left hundreds of residents trapped as the waters rose around them. so i pressed deep freeze used boats and military vehicles to get the mite. i never met so terrified of my entire life. it was horrifying. just wondering what's going on and where the water's going to go and how i got to tell him how we're going to get out and if we're going to get trapped in the attic and. hundreds of thousands of homes and i without power authority is a warning evacuated residents to stay put in shelters. what we're dealing with here is a major flooding and rain event at this point we're also looking at potential landslides and the flooding is far from over so please follow instructions from state and local emergency managers do not attempt to drive through any water that you see on the roadway just remember to turn around don't drown. not cooling westwards florence is expected to linger for days forecast as a predicting more life threatening storm surges and flooding with parts of north and south carolina set to receive up to a meter of rain. let's

mayor of new bern, north carolina. one of the areas hardest hit. 42,000 homes damaged, not all of them flooded. there are people waiting to be rescued from their homes. mayor, thanks so much for being with us. let's come back to south carolina now. my colleague has moved inward some and as we continue to feel the rain coming down, we know there are hours f not days more of rain to fall on south carolina but already esome serious flooding in this part of the state. nick, what are you seeing? >> reporter: victor, we're looking at what is potentially the future for much of south carolina with this range hovering over us. that storm continuing to pour down rain. we're out front off a residence here in conway, south carolina, about 20 miles from where ye are this is probably the worst we've seen. i'm standing in a foot of water in a flood plain here. conway is prone to flooding. locolficials are very concerned about the next three to five days as the storm continues to drop down rain. you can't feel that here, but if you pa

i got off the phone with officials in new bern. they say they have about a hundred more rescues they are carrying out at this moment. they have done more than 375. one of the challenges they have right now is where to put the people they are rescuing. they have run out of space. because of the epic flooding, they are trapped on where they can take people to. one of the places they have gone is marine corps base. they are taking some of the evacuees from new bern there. but they are flooded to the north of new bern and cut off from greeneville where a lot of first responders are staying. the officials tell me the river is about 4 to 6 feet flooded above their surge which is good news. but they are not happy because they know rain is in the forecast. so this is going to fluctuate. it's going to be a fight over the next several days as to what they do. once we get a little bit of confidence it's not going to rain, we are going to try to get you shots of the devastation. when it went down from a 4 to a 2, maybe people would stay behind

more than 100 are waiting for rescue in new bern. this storm is just getting started. >>> thank you. obviously they need help from states across the u.s. crews from the bay area are ready to do that in the aftermath of florence. >>> others are on stand by to leave at a moment's notice. amy hollyfield is live in menlo park with that part of the story. amy >> reporter: firefighters here in menlo park. hearsay picture of the team. part of the team is in hawaii helping with hurricane efforts there. now they have been dispatched to north carolina to respond to florence. they aren't the only ones springing into action? they have four medical teams on stand-by. they have bags packed and ready to go to north carolina whenever they get the call. >> the hardest part is leaving our family at a moment's notice. >> reporter: oakland's task force is already in the east coast. they shared pictures of their travels. fremont fire, santa rosa and oakland fire. so the bay area is pitching in to help the east coast in this moment of need. reporting live

new bern, agn, has a curfew, 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. you should also know that south carolina right now is just now starting to fee the effects, with some heavy rains and rising waters there, too. volunteers say they are ready for this moment. >> gives me a good sense of satisfaction to know that i cn do what i help out my local community, help o my friends and neighbors when they're in need. so, if i get in the same situation where my home is under threat, i'me there's plenty of other men and women across this state that would be willi. to do the sa >> reporter: times like these, mmunities come together, people come together to help one another and they have had plenty of practice here i'll b back live in about five hours for news 4 today, going to be aong night for a lot of people. doreen and leon, back to you. s >>y safe down there, please. >> yeah. and high tide comes in, seven hours fromnow, eight hours -- >> coming in now.t 11:09 hatteras and then again tomorrow morning, early in the morning, as well. they'll go through that next

are you in new bern now?e been involved in. >> yes, i am actually in route as we speak. we have teams on the ground now, had teams on the ground all day. multiple groups have come together, fascinating to see all of this happen. once again, see it year after year, but it is fascinating. reports i am getting is a lot of water, a lot of calls from people for help. guys are doing a wonderful job trying to get responders out to the calls. the bad part of it, we have to watch for our safety close, take calls and respond to calls as it is safe for responders to get out there. we want to get to everybody we can, as fast as we can, but it is a horrible situation with the amount of water and people that stayed. rescues will go on quite some time. >> do you know how many rescues you have been in involved in since the storm hit? >> like i said, teams are dispatched all over, working with other groups. my communication with my lead guy has been sparce this morning. last i heard there were hundreds of rescues throughout.

you're at the emergency operation center in new bern.ght now you've had nearly 200 rescue calls, nearly 500 people, and this may be just the beginning. >> yeah, the storm is still ongoing. we're still taking calls and we're dispatching as quickly as we can in order to affect rescues. we're working with state and federal partners and volunteer groups that are really providing a great service and complementing what we can do. >> how many rescue teams do you have out right now? >> the last count i've got that are working suo much with us, i know we have five, and the volunteer group the cajun navy is really engaged and helping us rescue people as quick as we can. >> we saw some tweets earlier today from residents tweeting to try to get help. we're told they've since been rescued. what's the best way for someone to get help if they need it? >> the best way would be to contact our emergency operations center. 366-6608. that is the best way -- if you're in a safe -- fairly safe situation where you can get away from the floodwaters, if you're a

. >> in new bern, north carolina, an estimated 500 people have be rescued so far. more people may still be ten-feet ofranded by storm surge and the flooding will go on for days. the universy of north carolina chapel hill is now designated a melter as tens of thousands seek refuge from all of the water. >> we have teame cover for you with the latest. doug, what is the latest? >> the latest is it continues to move down to the south, it is now movin west/southwest at about five miles per hour. that's a little faster. a little earlier at this afternoon. take a look. it came on shore 7:35 early this morning right along the north carolina coastline, right abouta here, it has moved to here within about 15 hours. i mean simplyha amazing has been going on with this. you see the feeder bands continuing to come in from the atlantic and this is what is going to continue to happen throughout the rest of the nighi t. you look at this. look at these feeder bands right here, right arounwi the ington area. that is one incredible feeder band, and then this oneee has going all day. m