Hundreds of people on Monday were rescued by boat and helicopter as floodwaters inundated North Carolina towns in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, and officials warned that life-threatening flooding from swollen rivers would continue for days.
Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Sunday.
In the US, fatalities rose to at least 23, with about half in North Carolina.
North Carolina’s skies were clear on Monday after the state received as much as 39cm of rain from Matthew over the weekend, but raging rivers and breached levees posed major problems.
“This storm is not over in North Carolina,” North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory told reporters in Fayetteville. “It’s going to be a long, tough journey.”
Eleven people have died in the state, officials said.
With rivers rising, the governor said he expected the death toll to rise.
The flooding on Monday prompted US President Barack Obama to declare a state of emergency in North Carolina, making federal funding available to affected individuals in 10 counties hit by the storm, the White House said in a statement.
About 2,000 residents were stuck in their homes and on rooftops in Lumberton, off the Lumber River, after the city flooded suddenly on Monday morning, McCrory said.
Air and water rescues would continue throughout the day, he said.
Many of the homes and businesses in Lumberton were flooded on Monday afternoon and residents were seen paddling about the town in small skiffs.
Major flooding is expected this week in central and eastern towns along the Lumber, Cape Fear, Neuse and Tar rivers.
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