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These are the staggering numbers behind Florence’s wrath

Posted at 9:03 PM, Sep 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-17 00:09:51-04

(CNN) — This nightmare called Tropical Depression Florence is far from over.

“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:

18 deaths

Of those deaths, 13 took place in North Carolina and five in South Carolina.

Several victims died on flooded roads.

“Remember: Most storm deaths occur from drowning in fresh water, often in cars,” Gov. Cooper said. “Don’t drive across standing or moving water.”

764,000

That’s just the number of customers without power in the Carolinas. The number of people who lost electricity is far greater because a single customer can represent an entire home.

About 703,000 of those power outages are in North Carolina, and 61,000 are in South Carolina.

10,000,000,000,000

Florence is expected to unload a total of 10 trillion gallons of rain on North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said. That’s enough to fill more than 15 million Olympic-size swimming pools.

900

More than 900 flood victims have been rescued since Florence started pummeling North Carolina, the governor said Sunday.

112 mph

That’s how hard the wind gusted in North Carolina’s New River Inlet. Wilmington International Airport and Fort Macon suffered gusts of 105 mph, the National Weather Service said.

Track Florence’s path

15,000 shelter evacuees

More than 15,000 people were staying in 150 emergency shelters in North Carolina on Sunday. “If those shelters fill up, we will establish more shelters,” Cooper said.

How to help victims of Florence

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.

18.30 inches

South Carolina also has a new record for rainfall in a single tropical system. The previous record of 17.45 inches was set during Tropical Storm Beryl in 1994. Florence dumped 18.30 inches of rainfall in Marion.

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 standing by.