"Many people who think that the storm has missed them have yet to see its threat," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.
"This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall -- in some places measured in feet, not inches,"
Here are the startling numbers behind Florence's wrath -- so far:
964,000-plus
That's just the number of customers without power in the Carolinas. The number of people who lost electricity is far greater since a single customer can represent an entire home.
About 809,000 of those customers are North Carolina, and about 155,000 are in South Carolina.
South Carolina has reported its first death from Florence. A 61-year-old woman died Friday night when her car struck a tree that fell during the storm, state emergency officials said.
In North Carolina, at least five deaths are related to the storm -- but "several others are under investigation," Cooper said.
"Remember: Most storm deaths occur from drowning in fresh water, often in cars," he said. "Don't drive across standing or moving water."
That's how hard the wind gusted in North Carolina's New River inlet. Both Wilmington International Airport and Fort Macon suffered gusts of 105 mph, the National Weather Service said.
20,000 shelter evacuees
More than 20,000 people are staying in 157 emergency shelters in North Carolina, Cooper said. He said "if those shelters fill up, we will establish more shelters."
Even if you live 150 miles out from the center of Florence, you could still feel tropical-storm-force winds -- which are 39 mph or greater.
30.58 inches (and counting)
That's the new North Carolina record for most rainfall from a single tropical system. It happened in the coastal town of Swansboro.
14,000 service members
The number of service members deployed include 7,500 from the US Coast Guard and 6,500 from the National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. Another 2,900 active duty members are also standing by.
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