Florence Weakens to Tropical Depression But Remains Deadly

On Sunday morning, Tropical Storm Florence was officially downgraded again to a tropical depression, though it remains dangerous.

Florence dropped from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 1 as it made landfall this week. After that, it weakened to a Tropical Storm. Now, according to a report by the New York Post, the dense clouds are a tropical depression once again. However, the labels do little to denote the danger along the south-eastern coast, where torrential rains and flooding are still a serious issue.

Fourteen people may have been killed in the wake of Florence’s impact, and experts fear that more could be in danger. The National Weather Service warns that Florence is still “a catastrophic, life-threatening storm,” and that the worst could still be ahead for.

“It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come,” explained the National Weather Service’s Zack Taylor. “And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding.”

The Southeast — especially parts of North Carolina and Virginia — were already saturated with heavy rain this summer. The rivers and lands were not prepared to absorb the excess water that Florence brought with it, and now there are about 24 inches of rainwater covering the area.

Experts believe that as much as 18 more inches of rain could fall by the end of Sunday. After that, it will take some time for all of that water to find its way out. Along the way, it will likely cover roadways, destroy property and impede travel.

Judging by current predictions, the banks of the Little River, the Cape Fear, the Lumber, the Neuse, the Waccamaw and the Pee Wee will reportedly overflow late on Sunday or early on Monday morning. Nearby communities will be inundated with water searching for a channel, and its path is hard to predict.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for many areas earlier this week, though some lacked the resources to get out of their homes. Fayetteville, North Carolina, Mayor Mitch Colvin offered a blunt warning to those that did not get out of the storm’s path.

“If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because loss of life is very, very possible,” Colvin reportedly said at a news conference. “The worst is yet to come.”

Florence has also increased the likelihood of thunderstorms and tornadoes in the area.