Despite some confusion over faulty gauge readings, it appears Florence did drop a record amount of rain in the 24 hours ending Friday night. The once-major hurricane was downgraded from a Category 1 to a tropical storm as of the 5 p.m. National Hurricane Center update, but the storm continues to raise flooding concerns as it moved into eastern South Carolina, moving west at 5 mph. A U.S. Geological Survey rain gauge on 9:06 a.m….

Blowing ashore with howling 90 mph winds, Hurricane Florence splintered buildings, trapped hundreds of people and swamped entire communities along the Carolina coast Friday in what could be just the opening act in a watery, two-part, slow-motion disaster. Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday afternoon, with maximum winds of 70 mph. At least four people were killed. More than 360 people had been rescued by midafternoon Friday, but another 140 were still waiting…

More than half a million customers are without power in North Carolina as Tropical Storm Florence brings heavy, life-threatening floods to the coast.As of 12 a.m., Friday, 773,903 people were without power. VIEW THE OUTAGE MAP BELOW. More outage information here Most of the outages are in Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus Craven, Duplin, New Hanover, Robeson, Sampson, Wake, Wayne, Pamlico, Pender and Onslow counties near the coast. RELATED: What to do if you lose…

Hurricane Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday, but it continues to be a threat to the Midlands. The center of the weakening storm is forecast to reach the Midlands by Saturday afternoon or night, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia. But what Florence’s impact on the Midlands will be is no certain thing “because of possible track shifts late Friday night and Saturday,” NWS Columbia reported. “Rainfall amounts could vary…

Torrential rains from Hurricane Florence will test South Carolina’s infrastructure, which failed under historic flooding in 2015. The devastating 2015 floods contributed to 19 deaths and crippled parts of the capital city Columbia for months. The state’s infrastructure, weakened by years of neglect, crumbled under the strain of nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain. Dams burst across the state. Roads washed out and bridges were compromised. A look at some of South Carolina’s existing…

How do you measure a disaster like Florence? In sum, the storm is turning out to be every bit as devastating as forecasters expected, with trillions of gallons of rain still in the forecast, hundreds of people needing rescue, hundreds of thousands of power outages and a handful of deaths. The economic toll remains to be tallied. BY THE NUMBERS —Storm deaths: At least 4 people have died —Heavy rains: Up to 18 trillion gallons…

Brunswick County sheriff’s investigators made what appear to be the first arrests in connection with break-ins after Tropical Storm Florence coastal evacuations. The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook Friday morning that its deputies “detained several individuals throughout the night for felony B&E.” Florence was still a hurricane at that point. “For anyone looking to take advantage of vulnerabilities during this storm….be advised BCSO deputies are still on duty!” the sheriff’s office posted. “You will be…

County by county updates on Florence damage and related information. Counties are in alphabetical order. Downloading the ABC11 app is the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest conditions from Hurricane Florence. POWER OUTAGES: Thousands are already without power. Stay updated on outages here. List of shelters for Florence evacuees. CHATHAM COUNTY Chatham County Emergency Management urges people to stay at home as there is still a risk of flooding and flash flooding. Chatham…