Storm. And when you consider how big this storm is right now, again, its covering the entire southeast part of the United States right there North Carolina, South Carolina, and could affect many other parts as it continues on its track, this is a massive storm system there are so many people who decided to leave. Those people wondering when they can come back. Rescue officials of course need time and space to assess the damage and then determine when people can safely return. This is a major storm that were following. Our correspondents throughout the region are on this story, and we have our derek van dam is rolling to story live in carolina beach, North Carolina. Derek, one person there telling cnn, we have this quote saying, quote, this day in that city was worse for him than the other day. Tell us about what youre seeing and experiencing. If i can just assume, george, that youve tossed to it me because at the moment ive lost communications with you. As you can imagine, Cell Phone Service here is very sketchy. It goes in. It goes out. This is very difficult to communicate, not only with our headquarters in atlanta, but with any Emergency Personnel here. Everyone is completely cut off from communication and the electricity as well. Really, this has just been 36 hours of hell for people here. And very, very difficult conditions. We had a false sense of security earlier when the eye came through this region. The center of Hurricane Florence moved over wilmington and wrightsville beach, and that caused for the calm of the storm right in the center of the hurricane. But people came out, inspected their properties, inspected the damage, and then all of the sudden the back side of the storm came, knocked everybody around. And as you can see, were getting battered pretty badly right now. We have a lot of threats Going Forward here. We have the potential for tornadoes tonight. We know thats a real threat because the land and ocean interaction around hurricanes causes these little brief spinups. And sometimes these tornadoes will not last very long, 10, 15 minutes. But they come up quickly, and they strike hard. Also, the torrential rain. We know thats been an issue as well with over 23 inches of rain reported in morehead city. Where we are located, weve had over a foot of rain already, and its starting to pile up very quickly. There was about two feet of beach erosion that took place. And this is a community that relies so heavily on its beaches because the Tourism Sector here relies on that. But without the two feet that has been washed away, that will have to be rebuilt before people can come and enjoy the beaches here. Obviously the least of their concerns. What about the damage . Well, there has been walls that have been collapsed there have been roofs that have been taken off of buildings. Trees have been toppled. Electrical polls have been knocked over. Hence the reason we have no electricity. When we were walking in the strongest part of the storm earlier today, i should say on friday, we had transformers blowing up all around us. It created almost a fireworks display in front of our eyes. Quite a vivid and dramatic sight. Emergency personnel here know there is limited communication on the island where im located and theyre begging and asking the residents who decided to reach out the storm only to reach out to them if theyre in dire need of help. Otherwise keep the available phone lines open for people who actually have a serious problem. Concerning them at the moment. Lots of concerns here. Again, my communications are down. I can not hear the Atlanta Bureau at the moment. So im going to toss it back to you in wilmington. I hope youre staying dry and safe. Derek van dam live for us. Derek, thats the way it goes. Look, when youre out covering a storm like this, there will be a couple of technical hits. Youll lose audio from time to time. But again, were doing our very best to stay out here in the middle of this big thing and bring people the information about whats happening. And so far so good. Lets go to our meteorologist Karen Maginnis live in atlanta at the cnn weather center. And karen, when you see this big blob over us, you understand why these technical gremlins step in. But, you know, people are watching, and theyre wondering how much longer will this storm affect the region . This is the big problem, george. And if you remember, i said, george, 24 hours from now, where you are its still going to be raining. Its still going to be miserable. But this is at least 48 hours, maybe out to 72 hours. Now, certainly, its going to decrease. Its going to shift. But we have all this moisture being drawn up off of the atlantic, getting thrown back on shore. So these areas like wilmington, ocean beach, carolina beach, all of these le tiny communities down towards myrtle beach are just getting repeats, repeat, repeats of rainfall. Ive seen reports of people, some friends, some people that i know saying its pretty bad where i am. In horry county, where there is conway and myrtle beach, its miserable. Its not just dreary, but the wind is blowing. Power outages to the tune of about 50 in horry county. Also in North Carolina, some of those coastal counties, the amount of people, the percentage of people who are without power is close to 100 . And then you go further inland, and it can be 70 . So its been staggering. All across the carolinas, you just saw almost a Million People in both states without power, and thats in a more confined area. Well, it looks like this is going to shift towards westsouthwest and kind of drift over here towards the appalachians. But the rainfall totals are still going to be amazing. The computer models, wow, they were spoton when they were saying 20 and 30 inches of rainfall. We havent seen 30 yet. This storm is not over. We still have a ways to go. Excessive rainfall in the forecast in the outlook. This is for saturday, going into sunday where you see the pink shaded area. Charlotte, myrtle beach, not quite columbia, South Carolina. But extending over towards wilmington. Wilmington, as if they havent had enough. Still an excessive rainfall outlook, maining there is the potential for more flooding. How can there be more . The ground is saturated . Those trees are going to come down. When we saw derek speaking and those trees collapsing, the ground just cant hold those roots anymore. The rivers cant hold the water anymore. Theyll be spilling out for days and days to come. So this is a long haul event. Just like we were saying when this was approaching land, and now, tonight, we have the potential for Severe Weather with the possibility of tornadoes. George . Thats right, karen. As we understand, you pointed out here, were under a tornado watch. And were in that dirty side of the storm, that northeastern quadrant where you have the trains of storms and the possibility for tornadoes throughout. Well have to keep an eye on it. Karen, thank you so much. Lets now bring in lieutenant mitchell russlander. We understand with swift water rescue, and we know that these are going to be very busy times for you, mr. Russlander. Tell us about what your expectations are for the work you have to do in the next 12 to 24 hours. The expectations have nowhere close to the work i have coming to me. That was only since ive gotten here yesterday evening. Its just way more than i expected. And when you talk about that, explain to us what is the bigger factor of this storm. Was it the storm surge . Is it the flooding thats been associated with the storm . With a are you seeing . Im seeing a little bit of everything, yes. But the absolute worst the is the flooding. Its like the part of im in tonight, when high tide came in at midnight, it rose up an additional 12 feet from the already flooding there was. So we tried all day trying to get everybody else as quickly as possible that still remains to stay, but we still get calls to constantly keep getting more and more people out. So its definitely its definitely tough. You know, mitchell, a lot of people, they see what you do. They respect and really greatly appreciate the risks that people take, people like you take, you know, to help people in need. But look, there are many people who are watching us right now, people who left, wondering when they can come back. What would you tell them as far as making sure that the coast is clear, that things are safe enough for them to return . I would honestly say just play it by ear and continue to keep an eye on the storm. Just because, you know, once the hurricane is over with, people will think its okay to return home. Thats not necessarily true. You have the aftereffects come in, the more rain. Its going take several days for all this water to go away. Mitchell, what have you seen so far as far as the rescues that have been in play . With the storm coming, it definitely affected a lot of people. I dont think a lot of people down here that were affected thought it was actually going to be that bad. Like i said, it came to a point when we were out all night last night actually even cutting holes in peoples roof trying to remove them because the water level rose so high so quick. Its dangerously quick. And you never know how how quick its going to move or what its going to do. You get out while you can. Mitchell, one other question for you. Again, swift water rescue, youve seen plenty of this. But look, this storm sitting overhead, its dumping plenty of rain, dumping plenty of water, in rivers, in lowlying communities. Is there a concern, you know, about when the storm passes on, that waters got to go somewhere. And the flooding along rivers, et cetera. Absolutely, yes. The biggest concern is that its just going to sit and its an unknown period of time how long its going to sit. A lot of the main routes in and out of the smaller counties around here are definitely way overflooded. Definitely got to keep an eye on it. And like i said, play it safe. It changes so quick. Some of these roads instantly flood quickly. The part i was in earlier on riverbend where it was a foot and a half of water and an hour and a half later were talking about waist deep. It comes quickly and moves quickly. Definitely need to keep an eye on it and do what you need to do. Mitchell ruslander on the phone with us with swift water rescue. Thank you again for taking time with us here on cnn. Well appreciate all that you do. And of course we though youll be busy the next several days ahead. Looking at rescue work is very important, especially over the next 24 to 48 hours. Our own Dianne Gallagher followed a team along to basically chronicle the work that they do and found herself in an unpredictable, unexpected situation. Take a look. You know, situations like this really do illustrate just the kind of danger that these First Responders take on when they come out to do these rescues. We were embedded with the North CarolinaNational Guard. Well were in a vehicle just like this one here with a different paint job on. Its called lmtv. You can see the area with the canvas over it. Its empty except for some seats there. We were sitting, myself, my producer jay, my photographer mark, with a member of the North CarolinaNational Guard back there. We were on our way to rescue three people who were trapped by floodwaters. Now, look, the neighborhood we were in was extremely flooded. The water was very high. And it appears one portion of it, the road had washed out in a certain area. And so the back wheels of this type of vehicle here ran off the side. It caused the vehicle to kind of dip down. We started taking water on in that back area where we were sitting. Now, look, the National Guard, they train for stuff just like this. They are trained. They did everything they needed to do. They got us out. They made sure we were wearing our life jackets. We have flotation devices. But we didnt end up needing all of that because there happened to be a boat with some teenagers from the new bern area nearby. They came over. They got us and our crew out, our news crew out, and they were able to help some of the members of the National Guard as well. Now, they stayed around. They ended up getting their vehicle out, and the three people who we were originally going to rescue, they did get rescued. But again, we cannot stress the danger that some of these First Responders are putting their lives in when they go out on rescues. We take it for granted because theyre all so successful for the most part. And its scary for them. Almost every First Responder ive spoken to have talked about some sort of frightening horror story they dealt with over the past two days here in the Craven County area because there is so much water and there are so many rescues being done. More than 300 rescues at this point in this just immediate area because of Hurricane Florence. So everybody in this situation is okay. Our situation is not the story, but the story is the fact that, look, know the risks that these people are taking when theyre coming to get people after these hurricanes and these conditions. Dianne gallagher again, following the situation there, found herself in an unexpected situation. Very glad that she is okay and that the rescuers are okay as well. Again, cnn following two major storms on opposite sides of the globe. Here of course on the u. S. East coast and this major storm affecting the philippines this hour. Our anna coren is following that story in hong kong. Well be back right after the break with that. These folks, they dont have time to go to the post office they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the Amazing Services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again welcome back to our breaking News Coverage. Im George Howell live in wilmington, North Carolina. Still feeling the effects of Tropical Storm florence, right now here in wilmington, we remain under a tornado watch at least through 7 00 a. M. Eastern time. And if you look here at the map, you can see this big blob over the southeastern u. S. Certainly affecting the state of South Carolina in the coming hours. This will be a multiday event. We know its bringing a great deal of rain, very strong winds associated with it. Here at the wilmington airport, we understand there was a report of a wind gust at one point of 105 miles per hour, a recordbreaking wind gust. So you get a sense of how strong this storm is. We also know this has proven to be a deadly storm. At least five People Killed as a result of florence, including a mother, an infant. We know that rescue worker theres took time to pray after they tried to save the victims. We know many people are also without power. At least a million customers without power, and some 20,000 people are stay here in the state of North Carolina alone. We continue to follow the situation here, the strong winds, the rains associated with this storm here on the u. S. East coast. But there is another major storm affecting the philippines on the other side of the globe, and thats where my colleague anna coren is now in hong kong, picking up our coverage from there. Anna . Thank you, george. Typhoon mangkhut is moving away from the northern philippines, but the heavy wind and rain will stick around a bit longer. Thousands of families have been evacuated from coastal areas. Local media report military aircraft have been deployed to the philippines for evacuations and to bring supplies. The storm is now headed to south china and will likely gain strength before it arrives here. We are now learning there are confirmed deaths in the philippines. Alexandra field is there. Alex, what can you tell us . That word now coming from National RiskDisaster Management officials who say there are two deaths in the cordlera reason where 51 landslide incidents have been recorded. These are deaths of two First Responders. No further details about the deaths or what led to them, but they are again saying it happened in the region where they can now report dozens of incidents of landslides. This is something that was anticipated. This was a big concern for Emergency Management officials, that there could be landslides. There is a very mountainous region. With the heavy rain that came overnight, this is certainly a risk factor that many were anticipating. And it has been difficult to get a clear picture of what kind of damage has been brought by the super typhoon that made its awaycross the northern part of the philippines overnight. Thats because of the remoteness of some of these areas. Its also because of the fact that communication has been so difficult as a result of downed phone lines there are also Power Outages to contend with. So officials and respond verse been working to reach areas that they believe would be hard hit. We have just within the last few minutes had that latest update. The first reported deaths linked to this super typhoon. Again two, people apparently killed in the cordalera region and according to officials, they were among the First Responder theres. When you sadly look at the pictures of the flooding and the extensive damage, the winds, as you say, alex, this was anticipated and for all we know, there could be more deaths. That toll could very well rise. Well wait for obviously authorities for that. Alex, obviously, where the philippines is feefkcally located in the pacific ocean, it is pummelled by typhoons. How does typhoon mangkhut compare to other typhoons . This is not the strongest super typhoon to hit the philippines. It is not as strong as haiyan was. Deadly, deadly typhoon that much of the world remembers. 6,000 People Killed from that storm. But this was an intense typhoon, and it was the strongest one to hit north luzon since 2016. There were warnings, though, and thats why thousands of people were able to evacuate. But Emergency Responders and Mix Management officials knew they were going to be contending with a number of different risk factors. You had those incredibly high speed winds that caused structural damage and that create infrastructure problems. You also have the risk of flash floods. Right now we know they are closely monitoring the storm surge along the northwest coast that can lead to deadly flooding. So thats a major area of concern. When youre talking about the mountainous evening this, certainly you could anticipate there could be further reports of landslides. Those are certain often deadly events in the aftermath of storms like the one who came through here for about 12 hours, starting in the overnight hours. Alex field, we appreciate the update. Many thanks for that. George, its back to you in North Carolina where youre tracking obviously that huge storm system. And anna, one thing certainly there and even here, rescues will be important. Certainly rescues important over the next 24 to 48 hours. And one group that is certainly involved in that work, the cajun navy. Well spoke earlier to todd terrell about his work with the the age june navy. Heres what he had to say. Were going to have a long day tomorrow. Not sure what were going to wake up to. A lot of tree damage, a lot of tree down so far from what were seeing. When we wake up in the morning were going to have water and trees down everywhere. You know, todd, one thing that officials are doing certainly here in the wilmington area, theyre asking people to stay off the roads, especially overnight. There is a keffer, you know. They want to make sure that people stay off the roads, because weve been out there. Weve seen the downed trees. Weve seen the flooding associated from this storm. Talk to people, you know, people who are watching right now who may have left who want to get back into their homes, and also talk to those people who may be listening on, people who may be in need of rescue. If you havent left to go anywhere, just stay in place. Its terrible out there right now. You have to worry about the downed power lines and worry about putting the rescuers in trouble coming out to get you. All you can do right now is stay in place. Listen to your local weather authorities, your local government and listen to what they tell you. How do you guys coordinate with officials on the ground . Because its so important to make sure that, you know, there is that are you still there with me . I want to make sure i still have you. Its so important to make sure that that communication is there between agency, isnt . It. It sure is. And the first thing we do is we go into an area where we think the weather is going to be bad, we get with the local authorities, tell them we are coming, tell them what our needs are and what our wants are and what the equipment is the boats, fourwheeler, chain sauce. And we try to Work Together with the local authorities. We dont want the duplicate our benefits. We dont want the duplicate assets. Well dont with a to go into an area if local authorities are already there we want to go in and help them. Todd, assess this particular storm. Again, were talking about millions of people who are affected. This will be a multiday event. It will bring plenty of flooding. We still have to find out exactly how much water will be filling into these various rivers. How bad is this one . And how much work do you suspect you have ahead . This one could have been a lot worse. Its slowed down pretty good. Thats what happened to a lot of people. Once it slowed down that. Thought it wasnt going to be as bad. But it has been really bad. And i think the worst is yet to come. Todd terrell there speaking to us about the rescues that are so important, rescues that will be in play for the next certainly 24 to 48 hours as this storm continues to progress over the southeastern part of the u. S. Our breaking News Coverage continues on both sides of the globe. Of course here on the u. S. East coast, and across the philippines where a major storm is being felt. Stay with us. Cnn breaking News Coverage right after this. This wifi is fast. I know i know i know i know when did brian move back in . Brians back . He doesnt get my room. Hes only going to be here for like a week. Like a month, tops. Oh boy. Wifi fast enough for the whole family is simple, easy, awesome. In many cultures, young men would stay with their families until their 40s. This is cnn breaking news. Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im anna coren in hong kong. And im George Howell live in wilmington, North Carolina. And we begin here in the United States, bringing you up to did on the latest on Tropical Storm florence, no longer a fullblown hurricane, but still very powerful. Certainly still very dangerous. And you can see from the satellite, it is very slowmoving. And thats the problem with this system. Its not leaving quickly. It keeps dumping a great deal of rainfall throughout the area. Take a look at this. A local tv station flooded out. The staff had to leave because of the storm. And this has proven to be a deadly storm. We know that at least five deaths are attributed to this storm. The damage here across the carolinas extensive. It will be costly. It will take time. Also just in this area around us, weve seen roofs torn off. Weve seen 100yearold trees ripped out of the ground. Tonight we understand near lay million customers are without electricity, and we know some 20,000 people are staying in shelters here in the u. S. State of North Carolina alone. First responders in this area know that they are in for aroundtheclockwork. A lot of work ahead of them. Tropical storm florence wont quit. And by the time the system finally moves out, this area will have been hit with record flooding. And a great deal of people thought they could ride the storm out. Many of them, though, calling 911. It is very important to see the work these rescuers are doing, and again, they have a lot of work ahead of them. In a matter of tekds, my house was flooded up to the waste and now its to the chest. And we are stuck in the attic. Trapped and waiting for help as waters continue to rise, Tropical Storm florence is becoming more lifethreatening. My husband can hear people yelling for help. And he tried to go outside, but then the water got up above his chest, and then he had to come back inside. And its the worst feeling in the world, like to hear people yelling for help but you cant do anything. Emergency crews across the carolinas are working to rescue as many people as they can from catastrophic flooding, worsening by the hour. The rain and the flooding equals danger, and that means we will have to have patience. Flirks the meantime, flying debris, downed power lines and uprooted trees show the force of florence battling the carolina coast for more than 24 hours. Here in wilmington, North Carolina, a family of three was trapped when a tree crushed their home. Crews worked to save them. Some firefighters even prayed outside, but the storm claimed the lives of a mother and her infant. Thinking loss of life is devastating. The tragedy adds to the death toll officials warn may worsen. This is going to be a very trying period. This is something we havent had before. Reporter powerful, slow, and relentless, the deadly storm is inching further inland, promising days of severe flooding. Ed and right now here in wilmington, we are under a tornado watch under the dirty side of this storm, that northeastern quadrant a lot to monitor for sure this night. Stay with us. Our breaking news continues as we track florence. The nature of a virus is to change. Move. Mutate. Today, lifechanging technology from abbott is helping hunt them down at their source. Because the faster we can identify new viruses, the faster we can get to stopping them. The most personal technology, is technology with the power to change your life. Life. To the fullest. Welcome back. Im George Howell live in wilmington, North Carolina following Tropical Storm florence as it inches its way inland at a very slow pace. And that slow pace is causing widespread flooding from the endless rainfall. Officials are concerned the impact of all that water, that it could be catastrophic over the next several days before all this is finally over. Keep in mind florence was once a category 4 hurricane. So its bringing onshore a great deal of storm surge, and its leaving behind dangerous piles of debris. Weve driven throughout, seen the streets here in wilmington. Weve seen these beautiful trees, 100yearold trees that have been toppled from all the rain and so much wind. We also know this has trovn to be a deadly storm. At least five people died as a result of this storm, and hundreds of people who didnt follow the warnings to evacuate were unable the leave. They had to be rescued from the rapidly rising waters. Also, more than 900,000 customers are without electricity, and no clear idea of exactly when that will be back on, including us here as we cover the storm, save for a few generators that are keeping us going. For a look now at other news that were following this hour, our anna coren picks things up from hong kong. Anna . Thank you, george. The center of typhoon mangkhut is moving off the philippines, but the country is still bearing the brunt of the storm. Officials have confirmed two deaths, and evacuations by military aircraft are under way. Lets good live to the philippines where alexandra field is standing by live in santiago city. Alex, any more details on the two fatalities . And are there concerns there will be more . We do know that these are First Responders who were found in the mountainous region. Its a place where dozens of landslides have been reported. Certainly there is a lot of concern there could continue to be landslides. This of course happens when you have these heavy and sustained rains. As a precaution, we know that several major roadways in that region have been shut down that is, of course, to avoid more tragedy right now, were starting to learn a little bit more about the impact that this super typhoon had when it made landfall overnight in the philippines. Emergency management officials are saying they have more information about what happened in the northeast. Thats an area of north luzon that was raising a lot of concern. It was a place that was considered to be heavily at risk for impact from this typhoon. We are now hearing from officials that they have made contact, established communication with part of that region. Theyve discovered about a thousand houses that were damaged there. Anna, to put this in perspective thats certainly something that would be expected in an event like this. Just two years ago when another super typhoon slammed into north luzon, you had tens of thousands of buildings that were damaged when all was said and done. So we should continue to receive these kinds of reports. Now in the northwest, there are also continuing concerns about storm surge. Thats where theyre concerned about surge of about three meters. So there is risk of flooding there. A lot of things for officials and First Responders to watch right now, and certainly for people in this region. They need to know that while the super typhoon has moved off the philippines and lost some strength as it did that, that there are continued concerns and certainly risk factors for everyone in the region. Alex, we certainly appreciate you bringing us up to date on the very latest. Alexandra field there in santiago city. Well lets now get the latest from our meteorologist Karen Maginnis. She is in atlanta in the weather center. Karen, does it look like this typhoon has now moved off the philippines and heading towards us here in south china . The eye has moved off the coast of northern luzon, but when it slammed into the coast, it was at super typhoon intensity, meaning it was the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane. Now the equivalent at 130 miles per hour. The equivalent to a category 4. It is powerful. Its still very powerful. It is enhancing the monsoonal moisture coming up from the southwest. So even into manila, they are feeling the effects of the system, even though its rolling away, it is still enhancing that moisture. This was so powerful to me yesterday. This is the closeup view. Here is the northeastern corner of luzon. This is the eye. The eye was making its way barreling towards that northeastern corner. Slammed onshore during the Early Morning hours. I have an unofficial report that one of these locations reported a 16meter surge above sea level. Does that surprise me . Its shocking if that is true. But with the system that was this broad and this powerful, that certainly is a possibility. All right. Here we go. It is moving into the South China Sea as it does, now it logistics like for hong kong, this may be one of the most powerful systems that they have seen in about 60 years. Will it make a direct hit . More than likely not. The computer mods are suggesting that maybe about 100 kilometers to the south or southwest of hong kong, but still the impacts will be felt there. Very busy channels and a port there. That will be affected as well. The airlines will be impacted, as you can imagine. A very busy airport. Look how much rainfall fell across the philippines. I dare say we will see multiples of that once all the information starts to come in. So here we go. Timeline for hong kong, Hainan Island looks to be about landfall right around sunday morning, perhaps still very powerful supporting winds of 130 miles per hour. That would be the equivalent of a category 4. Anna . Well, more than 7 Million People live here in hong kong, karen. So everyone very much on high alert. We appreciate your reporting. Thank you for that. Well, one remarkable woman is braving florences wrath in South Carolina, all to help out some of the states most vulnerable population. Her story and more coming up after the break. With no aerosols and no heavy perfumes. So you can spray and stay. Febreze one. And im the founder of ugmonk. Before shipstation it was crazy. Its great when you see a hundred orders come in, a hundred orders come in, but then you realize ive got a hundred orders i have to ship out. Shipstation streamlined that wh the order data, the weights of , everything is seamlessly put into shipstation, so when we print the shipping ll everythings pretty much done. Its so much easier so now, were ready, bring on t. Shipstation. The number one ch of online sellers. Go to shipstation. Com tv and get two months free. Welcome back to our continuing live coverage of Tropical Storm florence. Im George Howell in wilmington, North Carolina. This storm has weakened from a fullblown hurricane to a very strong, still very powerful. You can see from the radar loop, it is a big blob. And its moving in. But at a snails pace. The storm also has proven to be a deadly storm. We know at least fife people across the region have been killed. Also, a million customers without electricity. The recovery is going to be a slow, long process, an expensive process as well. First responders have identified hundreds of people in need of rescue from the rising water, and we know that some 20,000 people are staying in shelters here in the state of North Carolina alone. Florence is not a hurricane anymore, though it is still incredibly dangerous for people here in the carolinas. My colleague nick watt has been following the storm from north myrtle beach, South Carolina and explains why its such a serious threat there. We are on what is known as the grand strand, a 60mile stretch of beach in the carolinas that is normally sunkissed and welcomes 14 million visitors a year. Hurricane florence has changed all that now. We are still a little ways away from high tide here, and the water is already coming up and up this beach. The fear here is that onshore winds, this could be a deadly combination. Onshore wind, a high tide in the middle of the night, and a storm surge. This town has flooded before. Hurricane hugo back in 89 destroyed all of the homes along the beachfront here, and that is a fear. Listen, these houses have been rebuilt up on stilts, but there are houses behind that are not on stilts. And since 1989, a lot more people have moved to this area. There are a lot more people that could be impacted now. Over 400,000 have evacuated from the coast of South Carolina, expecting florence to come. Here in north myrtle beach, 85 of the people left, maybe 2,000 or so hunkered down, hoping for the best. They told us that one guy told me, you know, when it was downgraded from a 3 to a 2, a category 3 to a 2, i decided to stay. But listen, the winds may be not as strong as feared, but this storm is still carrying so much water and moving so slowly and dumping all that fresh water inland. And then as i mentioned, we have the threat of the ocean. Nick watt, cnn, north myrtle beach, South Carolina. Nick watt, thank you so much. Now thousands of people evacuated ahead of the storm, though many were forced to leave their pets behind. Some shelters wouldnt allow pets. Earlier, i spoke to crystal webb in myrtle beach, South Carolina. Crystal chose to ride the storm out from her home and is now on a mission to help those animals that were left behind. Take a listen. One of the main reasons i stayed behind, when i stayed behind with matthew, i became aware of just how many people when they evacuate, they just leave their animals to fend for themselves. And these animals needed rescue. So, you know, i took that chance just to put my faith in and im going to be okay, im going to be here, and before the storm, i was out looking. You know, i was getting messages from people all around saying hey, weve heard there is a dog at this address or there is a couple of dogs at this address, or, you know. And people have left their dogs in pens or chained up. These dogs dont have a chance, especially when the water starts to rise. Theyll drown. If we cant get to them, theyre, you know, nobody is going to help them if we dont. You know, crystal, a moment ago we were just talking about risks, the risks that people take associated with these storms, certainly a risk to stay and hunker down through a storm. But also, you know, because you care, right . Because you care to make sure that these animals are protected given these strong storms that come through. Well, it is a risk. And its something that you take, you know. I do rescues throughout the year, and any rescue is going to be a risk. I have been injured doing rescues before. But, you know, its worth it. When you save that dog and you know that that dog shows you that love, you bond with that dog because he is showing you appreciation for saving him. Because animals know when theyve been rescued, and theyre going to show you that love, that appreciation, and they never forget you. I have seen dogs a year or two after ive rescued them, and they act like, you know, i was their long lost friend. And just happy to see me. But they never forget. And its worth it. It really is. You know, i put my heart and soul into it. And as soon as this storm will let up or when curfew lets up, if the weather permits, ill be back out there. And, you know, just doing what i can. If i can only help one, to me its worth it. One good thing about during these storms, you find incredible people doing amazing things. Of course, our coverage continues next hour. Youre watching our breaking News Coverage, the storm hitting the u. S. East coast. Im George Howell live in wilmington, North Carolina. And im anna coren in hong kong. As george said, our breaking News Coverage picks up after this quick break. Are you a christian author with a book that youre ready to share with the world . Get published now, call for your free publisher kit today our breaking News Coverage continues this hour, two major weather events on opposite he sa said ends of the globe. Im george how will ell in wilm. Still feeling the effect of Tropical Storm florence. And im anna coren in hong kong where were bracing for a powerful typhoon threatening millions. And that is a major storm. Well continue to follow that with you live in amohong kong. But first lets start in the United States. Tropical storm florence, what is a major mess on the southeast part of the u. S. East coast and again, we are in the middle of it. A tornado watch here in wilmington, North Carolina t