Surging Seas, Floods and Rescues as Florence Roars Ashore

Anyone with eyes can see that this storm was concocted by the Democrats to make Donald Trump look bad. . . But fear not, Carolinians. Donald will be there soon to toss you much-needed rolls of paper towels. Thank the lord he gave you that warning, that Florence was going to be "very big and very wet." I see a future in weather forecasting for the president once he leaves (resigns, is impeached, is defeated - pick one).

Man can not control the weather, but we can help each other with God by our side.

This administration recently diverted $10 Million From FEMA to Pay for Immigration Detention Centers. Very handy I suppose for keeping the more than 10,000 (as of May this year) unaccompanied children locked up in United States government immigration detention centers. Not much comfort when it comes to needing FEMA's help right now and for future natural disasters.

While the NYTs stridently portrayed a catastrophe when it first published Florence's Category 4 credentials days back, in reality it came ashore in a whimper as a category 1, and, within 8 hours downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Those just next door to landfall were waiting. Since the wind and waves would not be catastrophic, the rainfall surely must, wouldn't it? Alarm: Flash floods sweeping away whole villages were fore told, prognosticated and verified by the NYT's list of acceptable meteorologists. As the failed catastrophe didn't materialize, then: "Just you wait!" Rain will fall. The ground and trees will soak up the moisture and lo and behold, the sun will come out tomorrow. A kids week off from school. Clean up to be sure as after most significant weather events, only the news feed will revert to Donald Trump and some utterance. For the NYTs: Shakespeare: "Much ado about nothing."

The Rev. Pat Robertson revealed that Katrina was god’s punishment for homosexuality in New Orleans. Does anybody know whether Pat has inside knowledge about the punishment on North Carolina? I’m guessing the legislature is on the divine hit list because of the bathroom bill and/or voter suppression and/or egregious partisan gerrymandering.

how can we help?

The only category six storm now is the Trump presidency.

Maybe climate change deniers might walk outside with a yardstick or a twenty foot long vaulting pole and measure how deep the water is. Have your hound dog snap a cell phone picture and email it to the White House. Watch out for flying objects and poor folks that were too broke to escape. You might caption the picture "water water everywhere" and "have a nice day".

"President Trump is expected to visit areas affected by the storm next week" Oh good, line up for the free paper towels, people. Your troubles are over. The man should be stoned by the victims for obstructing any effort to deter global warming. This policy is based on what? The GOP's war on the planet represents multiple acts of treason- on the people suffering increasing natural disasters, on science, on truth and against the planet itself.

Good Golly! Talk about bloody lucky dodging a 'Big One'! Can't even imagine the destruction, the devastation, the loss if Florence had come moseying ashore as a Cat-5 or even a 4, kicking out tornadoes, blowing things down, slamming things about, pushing a surge and driving a pelting rain with nearing double the wind speeds...

Stay away Donald Trump. The last thing we need is you coming here and tweeting about how great you are, how great your policies and how you are cleaning up after Hurricane Florence almost singlehandedly. You are a storm in and of your own making and we do not want you here.

Original headline was “First Deaths Reported as Florence Roars Inland”. NYT is indeed a sensationalist rag. First deaths? Roaring? What, do you want more? Florence is dangerous but in reality a run of the mill tropical storm nothing near a “monster” nor a roaring behemoth. The main and real danger is rain, flooding, and power outages from this slow moving big storm — and these are relatively limited in geography. Report the real story!

mandatory evac warnings ~ yet responders are risking their lives to save those who chose to ignore...RIP all those loosing their lives.

Quote from New Bern resident: "We didn't think it would be so bad." Huh????

We all need to start lowering our carbon footprints, and start figuring out ways too lower pollution. The past year, and a half the weather has become very dangerous. Global Warming is effecting us, and it's effecting us faster than people are realizing.

Are mandatory evacuations a thing? Why would any reasonable person stay along the Carolina coast to face such a formidable storm?

Mr. Trump has been very busy turning the Environmental Protection Agency into the Environmental Pollution Agency, and doesn't want to be part of the Paris Agreement, either. He should be personally responsible for picking up the $30-$40 billion tab. Oh, this storm doesn't have anything to do with climate change?

Even though all mass media and mass communication have been struggling to alert mandatory evacuation and provide hurricane information to all american people, someone will die by this disaster. The victim had also known and try to pay attention for safety from danger. But, their efforts was in vain. Therefore, every people has been putting our life at risk. I would like to say my deepest condolence for victim of Hurricane Florence.

All the people who stayed behind and now have to be rescued should be sent a bill for the rescue services. Not to mention that they’ve endangered the lives of all the first responders.

It's of course, terrible as a given that people have to die in a natural disaster such as a hurricane. Our condolences go out to their families. We are also especially appreciate of all those who at their own mortal risk engage in saving so many lives at such times. One always wonders why there are inevitably more in such dire need of rescue than seemingly should be. The situation's even more egregious when those who die do so as a result of not heeded the warning, even passing on the means if needed to get out of harm's way. Additionally, it's of tragic proportions when some of those who stayed did so involuntarily, as the result of another's decision, as in the case of young children. It's not wise on any level choosing to remain behind to "protect one's home" -or the classic "ride it out" as if engaging an amusement park's bumping car ride. Does it make sense that rescue workers and volunteers have to risk and possibly lose their lives or limbs to assist others who should have had the common sense to leave and chose not to do so. Finally, governments, whether local, state or federal, need to decide what is meant when in a state of emergency a "mandatory order" of evacuations is issued to its citizens and ignored. Folks, we must do the wise and considerate thing. Get Out!

Three weeks ago we were in North Carolina taking care of my 80’ish year old Mother following a surgical procedure. We endured sweltering heat non stop for the 10 days we were there. My Mother is now stuck in her home as this slow moving catastrophe unfolds all about her. She’s the only family member who still has power, as of 9:30 PM on 9/14. Other family members are without power, have fallen trees blocking their movement anywhere, or in two cases have trees on their homes. And this storm will continue to wreck vast areas of my home state for the next 3-4 days. Try to imagine sitting in your hot dark home watching it rain endlessly for 3-4 days. Knowing you can’t get out if you had to. One family member texted me to describe the river of water flowing across his property. The pictures are stunning. And all of them live 100 miles or more from coastal NC. They all live outside the mandatory evacuation zone. Hurricane Florence is rewriting history right before our very eyes. There are tens of thousands of decent everyday Americans who are suffering or will be suffering as a result of this monstrous storm. As Florence rains herself out from the Middle Atlantic thru the Northeast USA please keep our fellow citizens in your prayers. The longest night of your life is one with no power and you can hear the water rising to take you.

Went through this a year ago with Harvey. North and South Carolinians are in my thoughts tonight.

French radio played a pre-hurricane interview two days ago with a Frenchman living in one of the evacuation areas in North Carolina with his wife (American) and two small children aged two and four. He was positively jocular as he explained (bragged), that he and his family would be staying for no other reason than basically he just didn’t feel like leaving. It really upset me that a father and mother would choose to endanger their young children this way, and as the storm has become predictably catastrophic I keep wondering if those irresponsible parents are now on a rooftop somewhere with two terrified children, waiting for help and putting rescuers in danger as well.

Even all mass media has been announcing to alert hurricane Florence to all the people at ease coast area , someone had been killed. I guess they had also strongly thought to pay attention, awareness and safety for this disaster. But, their efforts was in vain. Therefore, every people should know, we are putting our life at a risk of dying anytime. I would like to say deeply my condolences for the victim of this disaster.

And this is only the beginning of the hurricane season. As global warming become a greater and greater issue, the task before people living in flood prone areas becomes more daunting. Settling down our government is a priority. FEMA needs to be updated and smoothed out so it can respond with speed. Seaboard cities will need a lot of help from now on. That right. From now on.

Just wondering. Disaster relief for states and counties hit by storms will be brought to the US House of Representatives and I wonder if the Freedom Causus ( Meadows, Foxx, Etc.. from NC voted against Sandy relief) will vote against such relief. Will they be staunch ideologues and vote against relief for their supporters?

I don't get it. I just don't get it. You are told there is a mandatory evacuation and you don't leave because why??? your stuff is so much more important that your life?? I do sympathize with those who have no transportation and little money. But it seems like most towns offer some services to help these people leave. And there are those medical or nursing home personnel who are still working. But I have no sympathy for the rest. Yes there is that chance you evacuate and the storm moves and your area is spared but isn't that better than staying and losing your life or risking others to come help you. Why are we so foolish? Just because it's never been this bad before??? Honestly they were told to get out.

The NYT video on hurricanes and climate change answered the biggest question I had, the part of the Atlantic that Florence crossed over was 2 degrees Celsius warmer than average this year. A large part of Florence's size, power, and precipitation can be attributed to very warm water temperatures. Climate change is real, it's now, and it's horrible.

How many such storms will hit the United States before the ignorant official policy of manmade climate change will be reversed by the government? How many lost lives will it take to convince our conniving politicians that global warming is a consequence of American dependence on fossil fuel consumption? The rest of the world is already on board with these notions and is lookng on in dismay at our persistence in denying a human role in changing our planet's climate.

I am a prudent manager of my personal finances and I live modestly. I own several multifamily rental properties and keep a comfortable amount of cash on hand. I expect and anticipate that untimely events will occur requiring financial outlay. I like knowing that I am able to afford these expenditures. Wouldn't it be nice if the federal government was financially prepared to swiftly step in to spend the 40 billion dollars that will now be needed to rebuild. I wouldn't be in business if I had to use a credit card to resolve an inevitable untimely expense.

Unbelievable pictures and scenes. Good luck to everyone in the areas hit by the storm. But it is strange that climate change is not discussed in this context. While it is not the cause for hurricanes it may well make their devastating effects worse and make them occur more often. One would expect a government to use all efforts to protect the population from such climate fallouts and try and look into all possible causes and multipliers. The current administration does the opposite - it denies that climate change exists and eliminates every restraint on fossil energy industries possible. It does everything to further push negative climate change effects. One can only speculate about the economic and financial motivation. Instead of enacting a movie-like scene to show that the president is informed about the situation, the administration should take climate change serious and get working on it. And the voters should think about this topic, too.

Some will say I'm hard-hearted, but I don't have much sympathy for people who are on their roofs now, expecting someone else to risk their lives to come get them. This wasn't an earthquake or a lightning strike. This was well publicized. There was an evacuation order. Travel now is dangerous, as the storm continues and there are lots of hazards. I know some people don't have enough money or other resources to evacuate, and I do have sympathy for them. But for those who could have left but refused to be responsible, they got the consequences they made for themselves. For those who survive it, I hope their tenure on the roof is enlightening. Frankly, I think governments should put money into making enough shelters available for people and their pets, ensuring safe transport for everyone to the shelters, and proving for food, oxygen, medications, medical care and comfort/entertainment in the facilities. Once that's in place, governments should tell people, if you stay home when there's an evacuation order, don't call for help. No one will answer the phone. The police. EMTs and firefighters are assigned to the shelters.

I’m in North Myrtle Beach and we are fine so far. We are one block in from the beach. We decided not to evacuate because we have 4 pets and there was no place to go that wouldn’t be affected by the storm. We lost power but have a generator. North Carolina got hit really hard, especially north of Wilmington. They took the brunt of the storm. We had some high winds and a little flooding. The winds have died down now and it’s mostly just rain. Long duration storm though - went very slow.

"rainfall of up to 40 inches is expected in the next few days" That's roughly a year's worth of rain within a few days. Prepare for biblical flooding. Manmade global warming means wider, wetter, slower-moving storms and hurricanes that hover over a region and dump HUGE amounts of water over their targets. https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647559489/what-hurricane-florence-tells-u... https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricanes-and-rain-getting-stronger-2018-6 Perhaps it's time to stop jacking up the atmosphere with manmade fossil-fuel-based carbon and start converting to solar, wind, tidal, biomass, geothermal, and other alternative energy technologies.