Pretty nasty flooding footage on the BBC site. I checked some of the places mentioned here on this thread with those shown on the BBC, then had a look at Google Street View. Hope everyone's safe at least.
Wow, so many members from NC! Hope everyone's faring ok during the storm. Although I currently live in the mountains of western NC, I grew up in Raleigh and also spent some years living in a Wilmington. This is some scary stuff!
My sister and her husband recently moved to Myrtle Beach, SC. They were going to ride it out because they have a generator, and he was more worried about vandals than the storm. He said their house was built to the new 2012 code, and the windows can take 100 mph winds. But at the last minute I guess he got it through his head that the water coming was a deal breaker, and they took off. Last I heard, they're in a motel in another town.
It looks as though Florence is doing to the Carolinas what Hurricane Irma did to Florida, which was to virtually stop over land. I don't kniw how long Irma lingered over Florida, but it felt like it was for 36 hours.
The bulk of Florence is just now hitting here. Nothing like sleeping while rain hits the metal roof. Unfortunately, I've been REALLY SICK for the past week and a half and CAN'T sleep because once I get "horizontal", I start wheezing and coughing my lungs up.
We had a house on the New England shoreline when I was very young. When Hurricane Diane hit in 1955, we had evacuated but my dad was still down wrapping things up and helping neighbors. Before he could get out of there, the storm hit and he watched as his car was picked up and washed out into the bay. There was actually a photo of it in a local paper apparently.
The winds are dangerous but the water is deadly. My heart goes out to all affected. There are many reputable organizations accepting donations. Check Charity Navigator online to verify an organization's reputation. I used it and trust it.
Not to make light of the disaster - many folks perished due to flooding, wind, etc., BUT this weather report video looks like something from an Airplane! - type movie:
Don't know if the two people casually strolling by in the background deliberately videobombed or just happened to come by. Also, I sorta feel badly for Mike Seidel with all the mockery he's been catching over this. He was our "weatherman" at the local Greenville TV station in the 80's and always seemed a straight-up type.
