Hurricane Delta bears down on storm-weary US Gulf Coast

BATON ROUGE, La. - Residents in parts of the US state of Louisiana jammed highways as Hurricane Delta spun across the Gulf of Mexico toward a region struggling to recover from the damage inflicted by a hurricane less than two months ago.

Delta on Friday morning was a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing winds of 120 miles per hour (325 km) and expected to bring winds, rain and a "life threatening" storm surge, National Hurricane Center forecasters said.

Residents and businesses boarded windows and several southwest parishes closed schools, government offices and called for residents to flee to safer ground.

"I know people in Louisiana, especially the southwest, are very strong and very resilient, but they are going to be tested here," Governor John Bel Edwards said at a Thursday news conference.

Forecast models show Delta weakening slightly but remaining at or near a category 3 hurricane at landfall between the cities of Lake Charles and Lafayette, driving a 4- to 11-foot (1.2-3.3 meters) storm surge up Vermilion Bay on the coast. It could also unleash tornadoes as it moves over land and drop up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain.

The same region was hard hit by Hurricane Laura in August, leaving more than 6,000 people still living temporarily in hotel rooms and others with damaged homes.

Another storm, Hurricane Sally, brought torrential rains and flash flooding to Alabama and Georgia in September.

"They never had time to recover from Laura and now this next storm is hitting them. They never had time to get back on their feet and they didn't think they could survive the second one," Cathy Evans, 63, said of her daughter's family as she helped them move out of their Lake Charles home.

Evans, who traveled to Lake Charles from Texarkana, Arkansas, left with her daughter and family for Texas on Thursday evening as Louisiana was closing its flood control gates.

New Orleans may be spared the worst of the storm, although it will be hit by gusty winds and mild rain, said AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, with Lafayette the largest city on the storm's eastern and more dangerous side.

The state received a federal emergency declaration and Wal-Mart said it was closing many of its stores across the Gulf Coast as a precaution.

Energy companies halted 92%, or nearly 1.7 million barrels per day of offshore oil output, and 62% of natural gas production, data showed. The U.S. Coast Guard warned shippers of impending gale force winds from Port Arthur, Texas, to New Orleans.

When Delta reaches the northern Gulf Coast, it will be the 10th named storm to make a U.S. landfall this year, eclipsing a record that has stood since 1916. 

-reuters-

Bermuda braces for Hurricane Humberto

Residents of the tiny British archipelago of Bermuda battened down the hatches on Wednesday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Humberto, a major category 3 storm packing fierce winds and punishing rain.

The Miami-based US National Hurricane Center put the center of the storm about 225 kilometers (140 miles) west of Bermuda at 1800 GMT, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour.

The core of the large storm was expected to pass to the northwest of Bermuda later in the day or overnight, dumping as much as 15 centimeters (six inches) of rain. A heightened storm surge is possible.

"Hurricane Humberto is a threat," the Bermuda Weather Service said in its latest advisory. 

Heavy rain was already sporadically pelting the main island. Local residents were securing their outdoor furniture and some were boarding up their windows. Grocery stores and offices were closing early.

The government advised citizens to be off the roads "by 5 pm tonight until the all clear is given tomorrow." It opened an emergency shelter at Cedarbridge Academy, Bermuda's largest high school.

But officials said they were not expecting the worst.

"We're not expecting major damage. This hurricane is brushing us," Steve Cosham, Bermuda's disaster coordinator, said, according to The Royal Gazette.

"There could be some areas that are more impacted than others."

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November 30, has ramped up in recent weeks. Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, killing at least 52 people, with hundreds more still unaccounted for.

Tropical Storm Jerry has formed in the ocean and is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday. So far, it is not threatening any coastal areas.

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Dorian's toll: Bahamas officials say 2,500 missing in storm's wake

NASSAU, Bahamas - Around 2,500 people are feared missing in the Bahamas in the wake of devastating Hurricane Dorian, a number that may include people who fled to shelters around the Caribbean island chain, authorities said on Wednesday.

More than a week after the top-of-scale Category 5 hurricane ravaged Great Abaco Island, Freeport and other parts of the tourism-dependent country, the number of those officially registered as missing was another sign the storm's death toll may rise significantly over the 50 reported so far.

"This list has not yet been checked against government records of who are staying in shelters or who have been evacuated," National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Carl Smith told a news conference. "The database processing is underway."

Thousands of people are in shelters on the islands and officials have warned the number of dead is likely to rise substantially.

People all over Nassau are still searching for friends and family they have not seen since the storm.

"My friends are missing, a few of my cousins are missing over there, five in total, they lived in Marsh Harbor," said Clara Bain, a 38-year-old tour guide, referring to the Abaco town where officials estimate that 90 percent of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

"Everyone on the islands are missing someone, it's really devastating," Bain said.

Dorian slammed into the Bahamas over a week ago as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, packing top sustained winds of 185 miles (298 km) per hour.

Smith said more than 5,000 people had evacuated to New Providence, the island where the capital Nassau is located, but that there had been a "significant reduction" in the number of people now asking to be relocated.

Commercial flights to Abaco, one of the hardest-hit areas, were due to resume on Wednesday on a limited basis, officials said.

Some 15,000 people are still in need of shelter or food, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

Officials have already put up large tents in Nassau to house people made homeless by the storm and plan to put up tent cities on Abaco capable of sheltering up to 4,000 people.

Private forecasters estimated that Dorian destroyed or damaged some $3 billion in insured property in the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Zach Fagenson in Nassau and Maria Caspani in New York, writing by Scott Malone, editing by Chris Reese, Steve Orlofsky and Tom Brown)

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Michael Jordan donates $1 million to Dorian relief

LOS ANGELES - NBA legend Michael Jordan is donating $1 million to help relief efforts in the hurricane-battered Bahamas, his spokeswoman said Tuesday.

In a statement on Twitter, Charlotte Hornets owner Jordan said he was "devastated" at the destruction unleashed by Hurricane Dorian on the Caribbean archipelago.

At least 50 people have died and several thousand across the island nation have been evacuated. 

"I am devastated to see the destruction that Hurricane Dorian has brought to the Bahamas, where I own property and visit frequently," Jordan said in a statement announcing his pledge.

"My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering and to those who have lost loved ones," he added.

Jordan said he aimed to distribute funds to non-profit agencies in the region where the money would "have the most impact." 

"The Bahamian people are strong and resilient and I hope that my donation will be of help as they work to recover from this catastrophic storm," he added.

Jordan, 56, has donated to relief efforts in the past, pledging $2 million to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence which lashed the Carolinas last year.

Jordan is widely regarded as the one of the greatest basketball players of all time, winning six NBA titles before retiring and eventually becoming owner of the Hornets.

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Bahamas hurricane toll up to 45, many more missing

Authorities in the Bahamas have updated the death toll from Hurricane Dorian to 45, with police calling for the public to register details of the many people still missing.

One week after Dorian flattened homes and buildings, a major relief operation is working to deliver supplies to desperate residents seeking food, water and shelter.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said that they had found 37 bodies on Abaco island and eight on Grand Bahama island.

"We anticipate the discovery of more bodies," police said in a statement late Sunday.

"There are many more persons presumed missing and we are appealing to the public to file Missing Persons reports.

"Every effort is being made along with our local and international law enforcement partners."

With survivors being evacuated from the worst-hit areas, officials have said that hundreds or even thousands of people are still missing.

After progressing up the US east coast, Dorian, downgraded to a post-tropical storm, caused severe damage in eastern Canada before moving over the Labrador Sea.

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Hurricane Dorian floods island as it swipes North Carolina then heads north

KITTY HAWK, N.C. - Hurricane Dorian briefly made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Friday, hitting the beach-fringed barrier islands with powerful winds and battering waves days after reducing parts of the Bahamas to rubble.

The storm made landfall at Cape Hatteras at about 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. That was far weaker than its slow, deadly tour through the Bahamas earlier in the week that caused at least 43 deaths, according to news media accounts late Friday, and likely many more.

By late afternoon, Dorian was moving away from the mid-Atlantic states and headed towards Canada where it was expected to bring hurricane-force winds to parts of Nova Scotia by Saturday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm surge inundated the Outer Banks' Ocracoke Island, cutting off power and submerging many homes and buildings, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told reporters.

Floodwaters came halfway up to kitchen countertops and battered fences and boardwalks, according to images on social media. One island resident uploaded a video on social media showing people driving a speedboat down a flooded street.

"We estimate about 800 people remained on the island during the storm and have heard reports from residents who say the flooding there was catastrophic," Cooper said. "We're thankful not to have reports of serious injury or death since the storm arrived."

One resident in need of immediate medical attention was airlifted off Ocracoke, and helicopters will fly in food and water, the governor added.

The Outer Banks are a picturesque series of narrow islands known for their beaches, lighthouses and natural beauty.

The Kitty Hawk area, on the northern end of the Outer Banks, emerged from the storm with little damage. Many houses near the ocean lost power on Friday, but houses on higher ground continued to have power and cable television.

MASSACHUSETTS ISLANDS

Stacy and Ryan Marshall said their home, which is not on the oceanfront, came through unscathed. They drove to the beach on Friday afternoon to view the storm surge. "We got lucky, just lost a couple of boards on the fence," Stacy Marshall said.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster held a news conference with smiling officials, saying that the storm had not been as bad as had been feared and floodwaters had ebbed in coastal areas.

Dorian is expected to bring tropical storm winds to Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts early on Saturday.

But it will likely spare much of the East Coast the worst of its rain and wind before making landfall in Canada's Nova Scotia that night, the hurricane center said.

The damage was far less severe than in the Bahamas, where at least 70,000 people were in need of immediate humanitarian relief after Dorian became the most damaging storm ever to hit the island nation.

Of at least four storm-related deaths reported in the United States, three were in Orange County, Florida, during storm preparations or evacuation, the mayor's office said. In North Carolina, an 85-year-old man fell off a ladder while barricading his home for Dorian, the governor said.

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Hurricane Dorian leaves Bahamas in ruins

An aerial view shows devastation after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas on Tuesday in this image obtained via social media. Dorian left at least 7 people killed and destroyed 13,000 homes, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

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How has climate change affected Hurricane Dorian?

The links between hurricanes and climate change are complex, but some aspects are getting clearer.

Tropical storms draw their energy from ocean heat — and more than 90 percent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is being stored in the ocean. Storms that survive the cradle of formation can intensify quickly and become immensely powerful.

While it is common to hear the question, “Was it caused by climate change?” scientists argue that this is an unhelpful way to look at the issue. As Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, put it recently on Twitter, “that’s the wrong question. The right one is, ‘how much worse did climate change make it?’ ”

Like so many hurricanes, Dorian’s origins were unassuming. At 11 a.m. Aug. 24, the National Hurricane Center in Miami announced a new tropical depression east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles. At the time, it was just Tropical Depression Five.

Now, as that same storm slowly moves away from the Bahamas — which experienced a nightmare scenario of a Category 5 storm stalling over it for 24 hours — it begins its slow roll toward the East Coast of the United States.

A number of recent storms have stopped in one place for extended periods of time, including Harvey, which sat over Houston for days in 2017 and caused unprecedented flooding.

Recent research suggests that climate change has made stalled Atlantic storms more common since the mid-20th century and that they are more dangerous because they stay in one place for a longer period of time, potentially concentrating their destruction.

Jennifer Francis, a scientist with the Woods Hole Research Center, said, “This is yet another example of the kind of slow-moving tropical systems that we expect to see more often as a response to climate change. Upper-level steering winds are slowing over the continents during summer, so stalling weather systems are more likely.”

Hurricanes are steered in part by high-atmosphere winds not directly related to the storm. Dorian slowed to a crawl — about 1 mph — because the tropical winds that were pushing it westward over the Bahamas weakened, said Joel Cline, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Climate change is making hurricanes more destructive in many ways.

Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, said that some of the links between hurricanes and climate change are still being worked out. But, he said, some attributes of storms, particularly the increasing amount of rainfall associated with many of them, has reached a very strong consensus.

A similarly solid consensus has developed about storms getting stronger. There is somewhat less consensus, he said, around the idea that storms are likelier to stall.

The problem with looking for answers in individual storms, he said, is that “because these are rare events, it’s really hard to get good statistics. Picking out trends is difficult.” And so the field draws conclusions from physics and models, and “physics rules the system.”

One of the other characteristics of Dorian: Its course has, at times, been difficult to forecast. Gabriel Vecchi, a professor of geosciences at Princeton University, said that forecasts of the storm’s path have actually been “in relative agreement” but that people find the remaining degree of uncertainty unsatisfying. “The problem is our standards have gotten so high because the forecasts have gotten so good,” he said.

Cline said that over the previous two days, Dorian’s track had more closely matched the forecasts. As it travels up the East Coast the storm’s behavior may become even more predictable, he said, as it encounters the typical west-to-east wind flow that defines most of the weather in the mid-Atlantic region. That should drive Dorian increasingly to the northeast, he said.

Vecchi warned against trying to attribute too many elements of an individual storm to climate change right away, however, because attribution science has so far been most successful in terms of rainfall. He cautioned against saying that every intense storm was made more powerful because of global warming because “there have been intense storms in the past.”

Instead, he put it this way: Dorian “looks like what we’re going to have more of in the future.”


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'Monster' Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas, forecast to threaten Florida

TITUSVILLE, Florida - Hurricane Dorian, the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, pounded the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama on Sunday night and was forecast to move dangerously close to Florida in the next two days, U.S. forecasters said.

Hazards for the Abaco Islands included storm surges 18 to 23 feet (5.5 to 7 metres) above normal tide levels, with higher destructive waves, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

At 11 p.m. (0300) GMT, the hurricane was about 135 miles (220 km) from the Florida coast, parts of which were being evacuated, as it crawled westward. Farther north, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of eight coastal counties effective at noon (1600 GMT) on Monday.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ordered evacuations in all or parts of six coastal counties also effective at noon on Monday.

Even a glancing blow from one of the strongest storms ever to menace Florida could bring torrential rains and damaging winds, the NHC said.

"On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Great Abaco and Grand Bahama islands tonight and Monday," the NHC said. "The hurricane will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday night."

Dorian is forecast to remain a hurricane for the next five days, the NHC said. Dorian made landfall on Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kph) and gusts of more than 220 mph (354 kph).

Dorian was the strongest hurricane on record to hit the northwestern Bahamas as a life-threatening Category 5 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale.

It was tied with Gilbert (1988), Wilma (2005) and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, based on maximum sustained winds. Allen in 1980 was the most powerful, with 190 mph (306 kph) winds, the NHC said.

Julia Eaddy, 70, in Titusville, Florida, said she and her husband had ridden out several hurricanes before and were not fazed by the forecast. "I think it will be more of the same," she said.

Several gasoline stations around Titusville were closed. Many grocery stores were open but boarded up. Inside, shelves emptied out fast.

'MONSTER STORM'

Like many officials in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents against becoming complacent after forecasts began saying on Saturday that the state might escape a direct hit.

"This storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction. Do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind when you have a chance to get out," DeSantis said, urging people to heed evacuation orders from county officials.

Dozens of Floridians who live in boats in marinas in Brevard County were rushing to secure their vessels, strapping them to docks and removing canvas coverings from decks, but some boat residents said they wanted to ride out Dorian.

"I will not get off this boat during the hurricane for any reason at all, save a human life," said Ned Keahey, 56. "It's home."

Residents on Abaco posted video on social media showing floodwaters halfway up the sides of single-family homes with parts of the roofs torn off. Car alarms blared across the island, which was littered with twisted metal and splintered wood.

Forecasters predicted up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain. The storm was moving at just 6 mph (9 kph) on Sunday night, prolonging a pummeling expected to last for hours, the NHC said.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said in a nationally televised news conference that a "deadly storm and a monster storm" was battering the islands. Homes there are built to withstand winds of at least 150 mph (241 kph), but the expected storm surge was higher than the average roof.

"This will put us to a test that we've never confronted before," Minnis said. "This is probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people."

Palm Beach County, the third most-populated county and home to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, was among those with partial mandatory evacuations. Other counties announced voluntary evacuations.

"This looks like it could be larger than all of them," Trump said during a briefing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA is moving food, water and generators into the Southeastern United States, said acting Administrator Peter Gaynor.

Also on Sunday, a new tropical storm formed southwest of Mexico and was expected to become a hurricane on Monday, the NHC said. Tropical Storm Juliette was 455 miles (735 km) from Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the NHC said.

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Dorian makes landfall in Bahamas with gusts up to 354 kph

TITUSVILLE, Florida - Hurricane Dorian became the strongest storm in modern records to hit the northwestern Bahamas and is expected to pound the islands with up to two days of torrential rain, high waves and damaging winds as parts of Florida evacuated before it took aim at the US mainland.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Dorian made landfall on Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 storm on Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 km per hour) and gusts of more than 220 mph (354 kph).

Millions of people from Florida to North Carolina were bracing to see whether Dorian avoids a US landfall and, as predicted, veers north into the Atlantic Ocean after hitting the Bahamas. Even a glancing blow from one of the strongest storms ever to menace Florida could bring torrential rains and damaging winds, and "a Florida landfall is still a distinct possibility," the Miami-based NHC warned.

Bahamas residents reported trees snapping and docks being destroyed before the brunt of the storm arrived. The pummeling was expected to last for hours as the hurricane may slow to just 1 mph, "prolonging its catastrophic effects," the NHC said.

On Great Guana Cay, just off Great Abaco Island, waves began washing over low-lying parts of the tiny 9-mile (14-km) strand of land that is only about a quarter-mile wide by mid-morning, resident Tom Creenan said.

Although some residents left for Nassau and elsewhere days ago, some 200 to 300 are riding out the storm on Great Guana Cay, where power was already out and forecasters are predicting up to 2 feet (61 cm) of rain and 23-foot (7-meter) storm surges.

"The other day the prime minister came out and said everybody in Abaco should leave," Creenan said by phone. "But there's no place to go."

"This is the strongest hurricane that's ever hit in the Bahamas," Creenan said. "I grew up in Florida, so I've been through Andrew."

Hurricane Andrew slammed into eastern Florida in 1992 as a category 5 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, obliterating the town of Homestead.

That state was taking no chances with Dorian and four Florida counties, including Palm Beach County, issued mandatory evacuations for some residents, including those in mobile homes, on barrier islands and in low-lying areas. Other coastal counties have announced voluntary evacuations.

US President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the storm would likely impact the eastern seaboard from Florida to North Carolina.

"This looks monstrous," Trump said during a briefing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "This looks like it could be larger than all of them."

FEMA is moving food, water and generators into the southeastern United States, said acting Administrator Peter Gaynor.

"When it comes to response, we are more than ready to deal with anything that Dorian delivers us this year, or any other storm that may come this season," he told CNN.

Meanwhile, a new tropical storm has formed southwest of Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane on Monday. Tropical Storm Juliette is 455 miles (735 km) from Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the NHC said on Sunday.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Titusville; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely in New York and Zachary Fagenson in Jacksonsville; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Dale Hudson and Daniel Wallis)

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Slowing and strengthening, Hurricane Dorian worries Florida

MIAMI - Hurricane Dorian churned toward Florida with more powerful winds and drenching rains on Friday, wreaking havoc on people's Labor Day weekend plans in one of America's biggest vacation destinations.

In the Bahamas, evacuations were underway in the two days before Dorian was expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge of as much as 3 to 4.5 meters to the northwest of the islands, the National Hurricane Center said.

On Florida's east coast, where Dorian's winds were expected to begin hitting on Monday morning, items ranging from bottled water to plywood were being bought as quickly as they could be restocked. There were reports some gas stations had run out of fuel.

"They’re buying everything and anything that applies to a hurricane, flashlights, batteries, generators," said Amber Hunter, 30, assistant manager at Cape Canaveral's ACE Handiman hardware store.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned that Dorian could further strengthen and batter Florida with winds of over 210 kph. That would put millions of people at risk along with big vacation parks such as Walt Disney World, the NASA launchpads along the Space Coast, and even President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

NHC Director Ken Graham saw a worrying, unpredictable situation for Florida with the hurricane set to hit land somewhere up its east coast.

"Slow is not our friend, the longer you keep this around the more rain we get," said Graham in a Facebook Live video. While it was unclear where the hurricane would make landfall, the results were expected to be devastating: "Big time impacts, catastrophic events, for some areas 140 mph winds, not a good situation," said Graham.

Mindful of that warning, Cocoa Beach Mayor Ben Malik was putting up storm shutters on his Florida home on Friday afternoon and worrying about the flooding Dorian could unleash on his barrier island town.

"It's slowed down, we’re looking at a multiple day event, we were hoping it would just barrel through and leave,” Malik said of forecasts Dorian could sit over Florida for up to two days dumping up to 46 centimeters of water. "I’m really worried about the amount of rain we’ll be getting."

WEEK'S WORTH OF FOOD

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to have at least a week's worth of food, water and medicine.

Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson urged its 46,000 residents who planned to evacuate to go now.

"It's decision time now. Don’t wait until I-95 north and I-75 north and the turnpike are parking lots," said Hudson, who lived through two devastating hurricanes in 2004.

Dorian's course remained unpredictable. One of Florida's last major hurricanes, 2017's Irma, swept up the peninsula, instead of hitting the east coast.

Florida residents like Jamison Weeks, general manager at Conchy Joe's Seafood in Port St. Lucie, planned on staying put.

"I’m planning on boarding up my house this evening," said Weeks. "The mood is a little tense, everybody’s a little nervous and just trying to prepare as best as possible."

In the Bahamas, Freeport's international airport was set to close Friday night and would not open until Sept. 3, amid worries Dorian would slam tourist hotspots Grand Bahama and Abaco on Saturday.

Dorian began on Friday over the Atlantic as a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale but strengthened to a Category 3 with sustained winds of 185 kph, the NHC said. It is moving just at 16 kph, giving it more time to intensify before making landfall.

Some 2,000 National Guard troops will have been mobilized for the hurricane by the end of Friday, with 2,000 more joining them on Saturday, Florida National Guard Maj. Gen. James Eifert said.

Florida officials also were making sure all nursing homes and assisted living facilities had generators.

Only one in five Florida nursing homes plans to rely on deliveries of temporary generators to keep their air conditioners running if Dorian knocks out power, a state agency said on Friday, short of the standard set by a law passed after a dozen people died in a sweltering nursing home after 2017's Hurricane Irma.

North of Cape Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center's 400-foot launch tower was dragged inside a towering vehicle assembly building to shelter it from Dorian, according to a video posted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-owned space launch center.

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Hurricane Willa reaches Category 5 strength off Mexico's Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY - Hurricane Willa strengthened to a rare category 5 storm on Monday as it barreled toward tourist spots on Mexico's Pacific coast, with landfall expected on Tuesday afternoon or evening, the US National Hurricane Center said.

On Monday morning, Willa had maximum sustained winds of near 160 miles per hour (260 kph), with higher gusts, the Miami-based hurricane center said. It was about 135 miles southwest of the Pacific town of Cabo Corrientes.

"Willa is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the coast of Mexico," the NHC said.

Category 5 is the top level of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane and wind scale.

Willa is expected to produce an extremely dangerous storm surge, pushing ocean water into portions of the coast by Tuesday.

The hurricane center said Willa was expected to strike near Mazatlan, a popular beach resort, and several other local tourist destinations also are in the storm's path.

The storm could strengthen throughout Monday but is expected to weaken slightly on Tuesday.

Willa is expected to douse coastal states Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa with 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of rain, likely triggering flash floods and landslides, the NHC said. Some areas may see as much as 18 inches (45 cm) of rainfall.

Nearly three years ago to the day, Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record, struck Mexico's Pacific coast with winds that tore down trees, moved cars and forced thousands of people to flee homes.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Vicente, with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (72 kph), was churning some 365 miles (590 km) southeast of Manzanillo. The storm is expected to approach the southwestern coast of Mexico on Tuesday.

While Vicente is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by Monday night or Tuesday, it could produce major rainfall and the risk of flash floods and landslides, the NHC said.

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Michael weakens to tropical storm after day of havoc in Florida

PANAMA CITY - Michael weakened to a tropical storm Thursday after wreaking havoc along Florida's Gulf Coast, flooding homes and streets, ripping away roofs and snapping trees and power lines as it roared ashore as a raging Category 4 hurricane.

Two deaths were blamed on the hurricane -- one in Florida and one in Georgia as the storm raced across the neighboring state, heading northeast.

Florida officials said Michael, packing winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour), was the most powerful storm to hit the state's Panhandle area since record-keeping began more than a century ago. It was also one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the United States. 

Michael remained dangerous even though it weakened over the course of Wednesday afternoon and evening. 

Around midnight (0400 GMT Thursday) it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it barreled across central Georgia, still dumping torrential rain and packing 60 mph winds. These eased steadily overnight, to 50 mph just before dawn.

On its current track the storm is headed for the Carolinas, where cities and towns are still recovering from Hurricane Florence last month.

In Florida, pictures and video from Mexico Beach -- a community of about 1,000 people where Michael made landfall around midday Wednesday -- showed scenes of devastation, with houses floating in flooded streets, some ripped from their foundations and missing roofs.

Roads were filled with piles of floating debris.

After being battered for nearly three hours by strong winds and heavy rains, roads in Panama City were virtually impassable and trees, satellite dishes and traffic lights lay in the streets.

Nearly 370,000 people were left without power, mostly in Florida, but also Alabama and Georgia, news reports said. 

Briefing President Donald Trump at the White House, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long said Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began in 1851.

"Along our coast, communities are going to see unimaginable devastation," Scott said, with storm surge posing the greatest danger.

"Water will come miles in shore and could easily rise over the roofs of houses," he said.

At a midterm election rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday night, Trump offered his "thoughts and prayers" to those in the path of the storm and said he would be visiting Florida soon.

"I'll be traveling to Florida very, very shortly and I just want to wish them all the best. Godspeed," Trump said.

Hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes and the governor told residents who had not done so to "hunker down and be careful."

Ken Graham, director of the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, said Michael was "unfortunately, a historical and incredibly dangerous and life-threatening situation."

Just shy of Category 5

Olivia Smith, public information officer for the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners, said there was one hurricane-related fatality, adding that the incident was "debris-related. There was a tree involved."

Smith could not provide details on the victim.

In Georgia, an 11-year-old girl died when a car port flipped into the air by a gust of wind landed on her home, Travis Brooks, head of the emergency relief agency in Seminole County, told AFP.

General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said some Florida residents may have been surprised by the rapid growth of the storm.

"It really started as a tropical storm, and then it went to Category 1, then it was Category 2 and before you know it, it was Category 4," O'Shaughnessy said.

The NHC said tropical storm Michael will continue to move northeast toward the Carolinas -- as of 0900 GMT the eye was in eastern Georgia -- until it moves off the mid-Atlantic coast by early Friday.

The agency warned of possible flash flooding Thursday in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia because of heavy rains from Michael. 

Long, the head of FEMA, said many Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

As it came ashore, Michael was just shy of a Category 5 -- defined as a storm packing top sustained wind speeds of 157 mph or above.

Emergency declaration

An estimated 375,000 people in more than 20 counties were ordered or advised to evacuate.

Trump issued an emergency declaration for Florida, freeing up federal funds for relief operations and providing the assistance of FEMA, which has more than 3,000 people on the ground.

State officials issued disaster declarations in Alabama and Georgia and the storm is also expected to bring heavy rainfall to North and South Carolina.

The Carolinas are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which left dozens dead and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage last month.

It made landfall on the coast as a Category 1 hurricane on September 14 and drenched some parts of the state with 40 inches of rain.

Last year saw a string of catastrophic storms batter the western Atlantic -- including Irma, Maria and Harvey, which caused a record-equaling $125 billion in damage when it flooded the Houston metropolitan area.

Scientists have long warned that global warming will make storms more destructive, and some say the evidence for this may already be visible.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said there were no reports of Filipinos adversely affected by the tropical storm but that it will closely monitor the situation.

Most of the 3,300 Filipinos in Panama City, however, experienced power outage, while some evacuated their residences, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.

Romualdez, meanwhile, advised the 232,000 Filipinos in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina to take necessary precautions as the tropical storm is headed their way.

Filipinos who require assistance may call the Philippine Embassy at (202) 368 2767.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hurricane Michael strengthens, Florida panhandle braces

PANAMA - Hurricane Michael intensified Tuesday as it barreled toward the Florida coast, becoming a category 3 major storm as the governor of the southern US state warned residents to prepare immediately for a "monstrous" hit.

Michael was now packing winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour) as it aimed for the Florida panhandle, the finger-shaped strip of land on the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm was expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon, bringing hurricane force winds, a "life-threatening storm surge" and heavy rainfall.

"Hurricane Michael is a monstrous storm and the forecast keeps getting more dangerous," said Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has activated 2,500 members of the National Guard in response. "The time to prepare is now.

"Hurricane Michael poses a deadly threat," Scott said, warning that it could be the "most destructive storm to hit the Florida panhandle in decades."

Panama City Beach fire department chief Larry Couch urged residents to evacuate.

"If they decide to stay, there will be a point where we can't get to them," Couch said. "We will shut down operations at a certain point and when we do that, they're on their own.

"Be safe and leave," he said.

President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state, freeing up federal funds for relief operations and providing the assistance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"It is imperative that you heed the directions of your State and Local Officials. Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!" Trump tweeted.

State officials also issued disaster declarations in Alabama and Georgia, both of which are also expected to feel the impact from the storm.

As of 5:00 pm Eastern time, Michael was about 295 miles (470 kilometers) south of Panama City and moving north at 12 miles per hour (19 kph).

FLASH FLOOD, TORNADO WARNINGS

The NHC said some areas of the Florida coast could expect storm surge of nine to 13 feet, and as much as a foot of rain.

The heavy rains could cause flash floods, the NHC said, and spawn tornadoes in northwestern Florida.

Some 120,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders in Bay County in the panhandle, a low-lying area of beachfront resorts and retirement communities.

Michael was forecast to have the power to uproot trees, block roads and knock out power for days when it hits Florida. It is expected to weaken as it moves up into the southeastern United States.

The storm is a category three out of five on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations and residents hurried to fill sandbags, while tolls were suspended on some roads to aid movement ahead of the storm's landfall.

"Since 6:00 am it's been backed up. We're just now running out of regular (gasoline)," Danny Hess, an employee at a gas station in Panama City, told local WJHG television.

The Carolinas are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which left dozens dead and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage last month.

It made landfall on the coast as a Category 1 hurricane on September 14 and drenched some parts of the state with 40 inches of rain.

Last year saw a string of catastrophic storms batter the western Atlantic -- including Irma, Maria and Harvey, which caused a record-equaling $125 billion in damage when it flooded the Houston metropolitan area.

Scientists have long warned that global warming will make storms more destructive, and some say the evidence for this may already be visible.

At their most fearsome, these low-pressure weather fronts pack more power than the energy released by the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

In Florence's wake, uncertainty haunts migrant workers

SPIVEY'S CORNER, North Carolina - Francisco Javier Jaramillo and Victor Chavez should be picking sweet potatoes at a North Carolina farm and sending much-needed money to their families in Mexico.

Instead, Hurricane Florence has forced the migrant workers to evacuate their farm and seek refuge at a school-turned-shelter near the tiny hamlet of Spivey’s Corner, where they sleep in school hallways, wait and worry.

"If the sweet potato fields are flooded, we cannot work. If we cannot work, we will be sent home. We will have nothing," said Chavez, 39.

When Florence tore through the Carolinas last week, bringing wave after wave of wind and rain, the storm not only disrupted a harvest but also jeopardized its harvesters.

Known for its fields upon fields of sweet potatoes, tobacco and peanuts, North Carolina's agricultural engine is powered by more than 83,000 migrant workers.

Many come from Mexico and other Latin American countries to toil on restrictive contracts working fields that double as floodplains when the weather sours.

The contracts guarantee a certain number of working hours but that can be nullified if a farmer declares an act of god if, for example, fields are so flooded or hurricane-battered their crop cannot be salvaged. That would mean these workers get sent home without the hours, or money, promised.

A spokeswoman for North Carolina’s agriculture department said there are no estimates yet of the extent of crop damage.

At peak harvest in 2016 there were more than 83,000 migrant workers on North Carolina farms, according to the Employment Security Commission.

Workers on an H2A visa for temporary agricultural workers are among the most vulnerable people hit by a hurricane, according to advocates, lawyers and outreach workers who talked with Reuters. They have the least means to cushion the blow and the most to lose.

“H2A workers are very isolated, very vulnerable," said Lariza Garzon, with the Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry. "They may not know their rights.”

Lee Wicker, deputy director of the 700-farmer North Carolina Growers Association, said maybe decades ago that might have been true but now resources are in place to ensure workers have the supports they need.

About 20,000 of the workers come to North Carolina every year on H2A visas, which tether them to an employer on whom they rely for housing, transportation and, in many cases, information about the outside world, said Caitlin Ryland, a supervising attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina's farmworker unit.

They are frequently housed in areas close to farmland that can be prone to flooding, Ryland said.

Wicker said that sometimes happens, but said storms like Florence have outsize effects.

For workers like Jaramillo and Chavez, in a precarious labor position and with limited access to outside information, leaving camps for a few days to wait out a storm can be daunting.

Misinformation is rampant: many believe fleeing a storm can get them deported and barred from returning.

If their employer reports them as having abandoned their job, under the terms of the H2A visa it can start the clock ticking on having to leave the United States, Ryland said.

Fleeing for their lives in the face of a storm does not count as abandoning a job, she said, but many workers may not know that.

A spokeswoman for North Carolina’s Department of Labor wrote in an email that "the Agricultural Safety and Health Bureau has not received any complaints from migrant workers concerning unsafe housing conditions due to the storm.”

Five migrant workers Reuters spoke with at a supermarket outside Clinton, in Sampson County about 35 miles (56 km) east of Fayetteville, had elected to stay in their work camps despite the threats presented by the weather.

Explaining why he stayed, Miguel Hernandez motioned to the cement blocks used to build his barracks in an area under a flash-flood warning - surely they could withstand a storm, he said.

But Luis Alberto, a 25-year-old migrant worker from the Mexican state of Nayarit, was scared for his life when he and four friends decided to go to a shelter several miles away.

Luis Alberto, who asked not to use his last name, regularly sends money home to support his family. What worries him now is what happens next – if the crop is destroyed, if they cannot get the contracted hours of work they need.

"We want to know what is going to happen to us," he said. "Can we keep working? Will we be sent back to Mexico?" 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hurricane Florence kills 17

A boat sits in a backyard after the passing of Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, on Sunday. At least 17 people were reported killed and 900 rescued after Hurricane Florence dumped at least 40 inches of rain in North Carolina displacing thousands of residents.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Storm Florence weakens but epic rains still expected on US east coast

WILSON, North Carolina - Tropical Storm Florence was likely to weaken on Sunday as it swept through the Carolinas but dozens of communities are devastated and "epic" amounts of rain could still fall, officials said.

The storm is expected to become a Tropical Depression as it trudged inland early Sunday, knocking out power and causing at least eight deaths as flood waters kept rising.

North Carolina officials have reported at least seven storm-related fatalities with unconfirmed reports of a further three deaths. South Carolina authorities reported one death.

"This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm," said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Winds have dropped to about 40 miles per hour (65 kph) since it roared ashore along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast on Friday as a hurricane and it is crawling west over two states at 6 mph (9 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Sunday.

Taylor said the storm already dumped 30 inches of rain on some parts of the NC.

"This storm is still deadly and dangerous and it's expected to turn northward later today into Virginia and the mid-Atlantic," he said.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said: "This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches." Rivers will continue to rise days after the rain has stopped, he said.

Around 50 stranded people were airlifted by helicopter in North Carolina, said Petty Officer Michael Himes of the US Coast Guard. More than 26,000 hunkered down in shelters.

Roads were closed and authorities warned of landslides, tornadoes and flash floods, with dams and bridges in peril as rivers and creeks swelled. As of Saturday, about 676,000 homes and businesses were without power in North Carolina, along with 119,000 in South Carolina.

The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some affected counties.

Trump, who plans to visit the region next week and he tweeted his "deepest sympathies and warmth" to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives.

WORST YET TO COME

Florence was drifting westward over South Carolina, reaching about 25 miles southeast of Columbia SC at 2 a.m. Sunday, the NHC said.

Up to 40 inches (102 cm) of rain are expected along coastal areas of the Carolinas and up to 10 inches in southwestern Virginia, it said.

In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people about 90 miles inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk.

"If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible," Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference.

"The worst is yet to come," he added.

The storm made landfall on Friday near Wilmington, a city of about 120,000 squeezed between North Carolina's Atlantic coastline and the Cape Fear River.

Near the Sutton Power Plant in Wilmington, coal ash leaked from a Duke Energy landfill. The site lost enough material to fill around two-thirds of an Olympic-sized pool, the company said in a statement, adding that it did not believe the incident posed a risk to health or the environment.

Officials had warned before the storm rains could taint waterways with murky coal ash and toxic hog waste.

Florence has already set a North Carolina record for rainfall totals, exceeding that of Hurricane Floyd, which struck in 1999 and caused 56 deaths. Floyd produced 24 inches of rain in some parts of the state, while Florence has already dumped about 30 inches in areas around Swansboro.

In New Bern, about 90 miles northeast of Wilmington at the confluence of two rivers, Florence overwhelmed the town of 30,000 and left the downtown area under water. Some area residents described a harrowing retreat as the storm hit.

"It was pitch black and I was just scared out of my mind," said Tracy Singleton, who with her family later drove through torrential rain and high winds from her home near New Bern.

South Carolina authorities said law enforcement officers were guarding against looting in evacuated areas, while Wilmington set a curfew on Saturday evening in response to looting in one area.

As the United States dealt with Florence, a super typhoon swirled towards Hong Kong and the Chinese coast on Sunday, gaining in strength over the South China Sea after hurtling through the Philippines, where it wreaked havoc that killed at least 25.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Flood waters rise as Florence pummels Carolinas; at least 8 dead

WILSON, North Carolina -- Tropical Storm Florence dumped "epic" amounts of rain on North and South Carolina as it trudged inland on Saturday, knocking out power and causing at least 8 deaths as flood waters that have devastated many communities kept rising.

Florence's intensity has diminished since it roared ashore along the US mid-Atlantic coast on Friday as a hurricane. But its slow march over the two states, crawling west at only 2 miles per hour (3 km per hour), is expected to leave large parts of the region deluged in the coming days.

"This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news briefing. His state has already endured record rainfall, with much more forecast to come. Rivers will continue to rise days after the rain has stopped, he said.

"This is a hurricane event followed by a flood event," said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

With flood waters advancing rapidly in many communities, stranded people were being rescued by boat and by helicopter, while tens of thousands of others hunkered down in shelters. Numerous roads were closed, and authorities warned of the risk of landslides, tornadoes and flash floods, with dams and bridges in peril as rivers and creeks swelled.

Utility crews worked to restore electricity. As of Saturday afternoon, about 752,000 homes and businesses were without power in North Carolina, along with 119,000 in South Carolina.

Helicopter crews have carried out dozens of missions in coastal North Carolina and helped in the rescue of 50 people and eight pets, said Petty Officer Michael Himes of the U.S. Coast Guard.

RISING RIVERS

At 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said Florence had maximum sustained winds near 45 miles per hour. It said it was located about 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and forecasters predicted a slow westward march.

The center said the storm would dump as much as 40 inches (102 cm) of rain along coastal areas of the Carolinas, as well as up to 10 inches in southwestern Virginia.

In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people about 90 miles inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes because of the flood risk.

"If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible," Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference.

Officials said there had been at least 7 storm-related fatalities in the state.

Authorities in South Carolina reported one death, saying a woman was killed when her vehicle struck a fallen tree.

The storm made landfall on Friday near Wilmington, a city of about 120,000 squeezed between North Carolina's Atlantic coastline and the Cape Fear River. On Saturday, its streets were strewn with downed tree limbs and carpeted with leaves and other debris. Electricity remained out for much of the city, known for its historic mansions, with power lines lying across roads like wet strands of spaghetti.

"The fact that there haven't been more deaths and damage is amazing and a blessing," said Rebekah Roth, walking around Wilmington's Winoca Terrace neighborhood.

Florence has already set a North Carolina record for rainfall totals, exceeding that of Hurricane Floyd, which struck in 1999 and caused 56 deaths. Floyd produced 24 inches of rain in some parts of the state, while Florence has already dumped about 30 inches in areas around Swansboro.

In New Bern, about 90 miles northeast of Wilmington at the confluence of two rivers, Florence overwhelmed the town of 30,000 and left the downtown area under water. Some area residents described a harrowing retreat as the storm hit.

"It was pitch black and I was just scared out of my mind," said Tracy Singleton, who with her family later drove through torrential rain and high winds from her home near New Bern.

More than 20,000 people were in 157 shelters in North Carolina, with nearly 6,000 in South Carolina shelters, officials said.

South Carolina authorities said law enforcement officers were guarding against looting in evacuated areas, while Wilmington set a curfew on Saturday evening in response to looting in one area.

Schoolteacher Leslie Ochoa said she and her family loaded up 10 adults, 5 children, 14 goats, 10 dogs, two cats and one guinea pig and evacuated from Jacksonville, North Carolina to Columbia, South Carolina last Tuesday. As her son fed the goats in a hotel parking lot, she said she might not be able to return home until the middle of next week.

"Our friend behind our old house, they have gators swimming in the water. So yeah, not safe," Ochoa said.

The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some affected counties. Trump plans a visit to the region next week.

As the United States dealt with Florence, a strong typhoon tore across the northern tip of the Philippines, killing at least 3 people, wrecking homes and triggering landslides before heading toward Hong Kong and southern China.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Mother and baby fall victim to Florence's wrath

WILMINGTON, United States – Taking cover as Hurricane Florence unleashed fury on the US port city of Wilmington, Adam Sparks heard "a loud pop."

He went to the door to see what had happened, but "it was still pitch black at that time," he said. Power had gone out just before the powerful storm's eye touched down in his state of North Carolina early Friday morning.

It was only an hour later, when fire trucks had taken over the street, that he realized the worst had happened: a mother and her infant had died after a tree struck the back of their house.

"Most of the neighborhood had evacuated," Sparks said. "Only myself, themselves and a few others decided to stay."

Their small home with red brick walls appeared intact from the street -- but the back offered a more grim view.

A section of wall had completely collapsed, with a few belongings in view bearing witness to the violence of the crash.

Later in the day, Wilmington Police confirmed the mother and child were the first fatalities resulting from Florence's onslaught, adding that the father was taken to the hospital with injuries.

"The tree line they have behind their home is very tall, very old trees," their neighbor said. "It's always a gamble with trees like that."

"Who could be prepared for this? It's the worst-case scenario."

- 'Heartbreaking' –

A yellow police cordon now encircles 24 Mercer Avenue, in a residential area of Wilmington.

According to firefighters, the area had not been in the zone under orders to evacuate as Florence began assaulting the US east coast with torrential rains and heavy winds.

Under the pummeling rain rescue workers spared no effort in attempting to save the victims trapped under the felled tree's branches.

Later in the day the firefighters gathered in a circle for a moment of meditation, knees on the ground, heads bowed, faces long.

"They are out here, they are under a lot of stress. They don't even know the conditions of their own homes or their own families," said fire chief Buddy Marinette. "It's a difficult situation for all of us."

"Right now, we are giving the guys a little bit of a break, they need it."

Since Florence slammed into the Carolinas, hundreds of people have needed rescuing after being trapped in their homes by monstrous storm surges and flooding, with four deaths officially confirmed, including the mother and child.

The storm's winds have weakened slightly and authorities now consider Florence a tropical storm -- but the danger remains. Forecasters warn of potentially "catastrophic freshwater flooding."

Franco Hendrickson, another neighbor of the victims, was at the scene when relatives arrived later in the morning.

"Seeing the devastation was just heartbreaking," he said. "Me and my girlfriend we were just really, really sad -- sad morning."

source: news.abs-cbn.com