At least 17 people in North and South Carolina have been reported killed by Tropical Depression Florence, which has broken all of North Carolina’s rainfall records. Officials are warning that the worst of the storm may still be yet to come, as catastrophic flooding inundates the Carolinas coast. Up to 20,000 people are in emergency shelters in North Carolina alone. This is North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

Gov. Roy Cooper: “Floodwaters are still raging across parts of our state, and the risk to life is rising with the angry waters. As this storm continues to churn through North Carolina, it has dumped nearly two feet or more of rain in many places. The strongest storm bands are dumping two to three inches of rain per hour. That’s enough to cause flooding in areas that have never flooded before, until now.”