Offbeat Florence death toll at 15, including 2 from carbon monoxide

Two people in a canoe paddle through a street that was flooded by Florence on Sept. 16, north of New Bern, North Carolina. 

Rising flood waters overtake a gas station on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

Obrad Gavrilovic peers out the window of his flooded home while considering whether to leave with his wife and pets, as waters rise on Sept. 15 in Bolivia, North Carolina.

A home is damaged after a large tree fell on it, on Sept. 16 in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

A downed tree uprooted by Hurricane Florence lies next to homes on Sept. 15 in New Bern, N.C.

Workers restore power lines after Florence swept through the town of Kenansville, on Sept. 15 in North Carolina.

A truck with 'Florence Relief Vehicle' written on a window is seen as rising flood waters overtake a gas station on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A Lumberton firefighter holds on to two nursing home patients as a member of the Cajun Navy drives his truck during the evacuation of a nursing home due to rising flood waters on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A mobile home is seen with its roof torn off by winds from Florence on Sept. 15 in Gilbert, South Carolina. 

Bystanders help a stranded motorist after floodwaters from Florence flooded his car along Route 17 on Sept. 15 near Holly Ridge, North Carolina. 

A truck transports nursing home staff and patients during the evacuation of a nursing home due to rising flood waters on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A pickup truck is seen submerged in floodwater on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A boat lays smashed against a car garage, deposited there by the high winds and storm surge from Hurricane Florence along the Neuse River, on Sept. 15 in New Bern, NC. 

They Were Stranded by Florence. Then the Cajun Navy Arrived.

Volunteers took to boats along darkened streets, guiding residents away from waist-high waters brought by the powerful storm.(Pictured) People clean their house after the pass of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 16 in New Bern, N.C.

People wait in line to fill up their gas cans at a gas station that was damaged when Hurricane Florence hit the area, on Sept. 15 in Wilmington, NC. 

Members of Colorado Task Force 1 on the swift water team, head out to check on residents during Hurricane Florence on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, NC. 

Rescuer John Bridges with the Cajun Navy rides a boat on a trailer after completing a rescue, on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, NC.

Yuri Hickey (right) and a worker from the Red Cross point at a weather report inside a storm shelter at Ridge View High School as remnants of Florence slowly move across the East Coast, on Sept. 15 in Columbia, SC. 

A sign for the Buddhist Association of North Carolina is partially submerged as waters rise after Hurricane Florence swept through, on Sept. 15 in Bolivia, NC. 

A closed sign hangs from the front door of the Blue Flour bakery on Main St. in Columbia, SC, as the remnants of Hurricane Florence slowly move across the East Coast, on Sept. 15.

During a driving rain, Maggie Belgie of The Cajun Navy, carries a child evacuating a flooding trailer community during Hurricane Florence, on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, NC. 

A house is seen flooded by rain after Hurricane Florence swept through the town of Wallace, NC, on Sept. 15.

A car is stalled in flowing water, as first responders and firefighters try to check for people inside, as Hurricane Florence passes on Sept. 15 in the town of Clinton, North Carolina. 

South Carolina officials clash over flood barrier

With the handful of rivers encircling this beach gateway about to flood, South Carolina officials made a controversial decision.Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to tropical depression status and rescues continue after the storm brought severe flooding and multiple deaths to the Carolinas.

Jessie Lawrence pulls her daughter Kinsley Spaid on Sept. 15 in Davis, North Carolina.

Flood waters lap at a “high water” warning sign that was partially pushed over by Hurricane Florence on Sept. 15 in Oak Island, North Carolina.

Residents help an elderly man evacuate a flooding trailer community on Sept. 15 in Lumberton, North Carolina.

A car washed away by flood waters remains partially submerged as torrential rains continue on Sept. 15 in Southport, North Carolina.

An injured pelican is pictured on Sept. 15 in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.  

Flood waters on Sept. 15 inundate the town of Engelhard, North Carolina.

Bob Steigmeyerover starts to cut up a large tree that fell on his house after Florence hit the area, on Sept. 15 in Wilmington, NC.

Florence likely to expose gaps in flood insurance

After nearly a decade of declines, more Americans are buying flood insurance. NEW YORK — The number of Americans with flood insurance is on the rise, yet Hurricane Florence is likely to make it painfully clear that too many homeowners in the Carolinas and other vulnerable regions remain unprotected.

Kim Adams makes her way to her home that is surrounded by flood waters after Florence passed through the area on Sept. 15 in Southport, NC.

Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church's steeple lies on the ground next to the church on Sept. 15 in Winnabow, NC.

A damaged house is seen after Florence struck on Sept. 15 in Winnabow, NC.

A man makes a phone call from the front porch of his home surrounded by floodwaters on Sept. 15 in Jacksonville, N.C.

High winds from Hurricane Florence uprooted a tree which toppled a wall surrounding a baseball field on Sept. 15 in New Bern, NC.

A flooded house is seen during after Hurricane Florence struck, on Sept. 15 in Duplin County, NC.

A man clears a downed tree after Hurricane Florence struck, on Sept. 15 in Wilmington, NC.

A woman tries to get away from the flooded area with her child on Sept. 15 in Duplin County, NC.

Hundreds are still trapped from Florence's flooding, and 'the worst is still yet to come'

The storm's catastrophic encore could bring some of the most destruction yet on Sunday."We're going to get hammered," said Kevin Arata, spokesman for the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina. "The worst is still yet to come.

The courtyard at Queen's Point condos is filled with residents' belongings after the storm surge from Hurricane Florence tore open the lower floors with a four-foot high storm surge on Sept. 15 in New Bern, NC.

A section of the Highway 17 exit ramp remains closed a day after Hurricane Florence's storm surge washed it out on Sept. 15 in New Bern, NC.

Bill Wheeler makes a video recording of the damge to his store, Nautical Wheelers, after the storm surge from Hurricane Florence filled it with four feet of water on Sept. 15 in New Bern, NC.

An abandoned car's hazard lights continue to flash as it sits submerged in a rising flood waters during pre-dawn hours on Sept. 15 after Hurricane Florence struck in Wilmington, NC.

Rescue team members Sgt. Matt Locke, left, and Sgt. Nick Muhar, right, from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion, evacuates a family as the rising floodwaters from Florence threatens their home on Sept. 14 in New Bern, N.C.

Dori Baumwart, from the American Red Cross Disaster Services, checks the emergency supplies at the hurricane shelter located in South Florence high school on Sept. 14 in Florence, SC.

High waters flood Market and Water Streets as Florence comes ashore on Sept. 14 in Wilmington, NC.

40 members of the National Guard and 100 volunteers fill sand bags and build a wall across train tracks where flood waters flowed into Lumberton in behind West Lumberton Baptist Church on Sept 14 in Lumberton, NC. North Carolina State Senator Danny Earl Britt, Jr. organized the action through facebook in defiance of CSX Transportation but with permission of the Governor to try and prevent major flooding in the area. 

Eric Edwards Jr., left, and Elliott Farmer Jr. look at their phones from a blow up mattress at a storm shelter at Washington Street United Methodist Church as Florence slowly moves across the East Coast on Sept. 14 in Columbia, S.C. 

A bicyclist rides through a flooded South Water Street as Hurricane Florence makes landfall on Sept. 14 in Wilmington, NC. 

40 members of the National Guard and 100 volunteers fill sand bags and build a wall across train tracks where flood waters flowed into Lumberton behind West Lumberton Baptist Church on Sept 14 in Lumberton, NC. 

A gas pump lies on there ground after strong winds toppled it after Hurricane Florence made landfall on Sept. 14 in Wilmington, N.C.

Volunteers from all over North Carolina help rescue residents from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence on Sept. 14 in New Bern, NC.

A downed tree rests on a house during the passing of Hurricane Florence, on Sept. 14 in the town of Wilson, NC. 

Florence to cause misery for homeowners without flood insurance

The massive flooding caused by Florence will cause financial hardship for homeowners that don't have flood insurance.Estimates from insurance analysts and actuaries show an alarmingly high percentage of homeowners — both in coastal towns and those far inland — that are underinsured for a water-driven natural disaster as destructive as Florence.

A volunteer rescue truck drives underneath a fallen tree that is suspended by power lines blown down by the Hurricane, on Sept. 14 in New Bern, NC. 

Members of the Boone County Fire Rescue team check for occupants in a home surrounded by flood waters after Hurricane Florence passed through the area, on Sept.  14 in Bolivia, NC. 

Volunteers from all over North Carolina help rescue residents and their pets from their flooded homes, on Sept. 14 in New Bern, NC. 

Neighborhoods are flooded after the storm surge from Hurricane Florence flooded the Neuse River, on Sept. 14 in New Bern, NC. 

Boats pushed away from the dock are seen on a street during the passing of the Hurricane, on Sept. 14 in the town of New Bern, NC. 

Waves crash into the Second Avenue Pier as Hurricane Florence makes landfall late on Sept. 14 in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

A collapsed tree is seen during the Hurricane Florence on Sept. 14 in New Bern, NC.

People stand in flood water as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Wilmington on Sept. 14 in N.C.

A house where, according to local media, a woman and her child died as a result of a downed tree is pictured as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 14 in Wilmington, N.C.

High winds and water surround a house as Hurricane Florence hits Swansboro on Sept. 14 in N.C.

People are rescued by a member of the U.S. Army during the passing of Hurricane Florence in the town of New Berg on Sept. 14 in N.C.

The limb of a large oak tree toppled by Hurricane Florence pokes through the ceiling of a destroyed bathroom in a home on Sept. 14 in Wilmington, N.C.

Rescue workers from Township No. 7 Fire Department and volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue a woman and her dog from their flooded home during Hurricane Florence Sept. 14 in James City, NC.

Florence moves deeper into North Carolina and the worst may still be to come

Darkness and danger spread across North Carolina Saturday, as Tropical Storm Florence blasted an ever-widening swath of the state with torrential rain and dangerous wind. Eleven people in North Carolina and one in South Carolina had died from storm-related incidents as of Saturday. The fatalities illustrate the scope of hazards facing people in Florence's broad path: Two were killed by a tree falling on their home, one was electrocuted while connecting extension cords in water and one was blown over by wind while tending his dogs. Another died of a heart attack while emergency workers coming to her aid were blocked by fallen trees.

Search and Rescue workers from New York rescue a man from flooding caused by Hurricane Florence in River Bend, N.C. in this Sept. 14 handout photo. 

A resident climbs over a tree that fell onto a road as he tours his neighborhood after Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

People sit at a bar that has no power and drink during a "Hurricane Party" as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 from Oakland, California, search a flooded neighborhood for evacuees during Hurricane Florence September 14, in Fairfield Harbour, N.C.

Rising waters threaten downtown Washington, N.C. as the Pimlico River overruns its' banks, on Sept. 14. 

Leaves, branches and other debris surround and cover a sports car after Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

Electric poles that snapped in half sway from their wires as Hurricane Florence comes ashore in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

Debris from Hurricane Florence covers a street in downtown New Bern, N.C., on Sept. 14.

A fallen tree lies atop the crushed roof of a fast food restaurant after the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

A videographer films fallen traffic lights after the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 14.

People point to a building damaged from winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, N.C. on Sept. 14.

A damaged awning is seen as winds from Hurricane Florence on Sept. 14, in Myrtle Beach.

Rescue workers from Township No. 7 Fire Department and volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team use a truck to move people rescued from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence Sept. 14.

Children sit and play games in a hotel lobby that has lost its power as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sept. 14.

A gas station remains open as winds from Hurricane Florence hit the town of Wilson, North Carolina on Sept. 14.

Matt Stone of Surfside Beach checks out the winds on the beach during Hurricane Florence in Surfside Beach, South Carolina on Sept. 14.

Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home September 14, in James City, NC.

A tree bends from the heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina on Sept. 14. 

Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team rescue a man with chest pains from his flooded home September 14, in James City.

High winds and storm surge from Hurricane Florence hit Swansboro N.C., on Sept. 14.

Russ Lewis looks for shells along the beach as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach, S.C., Friday, Sept. 14. "We might get lucky we might not we'll find out," said Lewis of the storm.

Hurricane Florence continues to near the coast of the Southeast U.S., where it is expected to make landfall near the border of North and South Carolina on Friday morning.

Michael Nelson floats in a boat made from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street during Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina. 

A deep red sky is seen near New Bern, N.C., on Sept. 13.

U.S. Coast Guard officers speak during a command and staff meeting at the U.S. Coast Guard Incident Command Post on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on Sept 13 in Goldsboro, N.C.

Major flooding is seen nearly sixteen hours before the landfall of Hurricane Florence, as early storm surges caused the Neuse River to rise on Sept 13.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security Kenneth P. Rapuano and Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and commander, U.S. Northern Command, brief the media on Department of Defense preparations for Hurricane Florence at the Pentagon, in Washington DC, on Sept. 13.

A couple taking pictures on the banks of the Cape Fear River contend with gusts as their umbrella breaks on Sept. 13.

A firefighter tapes off a street due to a downed power line as Hurricane Florence comes ashore in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sept. 13.

A member of the U.S. Army walks through floodwaters near the Union Point Park Complex as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

Water from Neuse River starts flooding houses as the Hurricane Florence comes ashore in New Bern, N.C., on Sept. 13.

A woman runs past boarded-up and taped storefronts during the initial rains before the full arrival of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 13, in Wilmington, N.C.

A man drives his vehicle around the Union Point Park Complex through floodwaters as the Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

Docks broken by water from Neuse River are seen floating as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

People walk on a local street as water from Neuse River starts flooding houses upon Hurricane Florence coming ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, North Carolina.

The Union Point Park Complex is seen flooded as the Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

A man points to water coming from Neuse River as it starts flooding houses before Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

The Union Point Park Complex is seen flooded as the Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

A man drives his car around the flooded Union Point Park Complex as the Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

Water from Neuse River floods houses as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Sept. 13, in New Bern, N.C.

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Florence off the eastern coast of the United States on Sept. 13.

Jason Morris takes down one of several American flags ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 13 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Mike Pollack and his wife Meredith Pollack move a dock box from their dock as Hurricane Florence approaches the area, on Sept. 13 in Wilmington, N.C.

People wait in an evacuation shelter setup at the Conway High School for the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 13 in Conway, S.C.

Police patrol past boarded up shops along the boardwalk on Sept. 13 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

A gas station pump is shut down with no gas as Hurricane Florence approaches the area, on Sept. 13 in Surf City, N.C.

Members of law enforcement work with the National Guard to direct traffic onto U.S. Highway 501 as Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast on Sept. 12, near Conway, S.C.

A sign reads "Go Away Florence" ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

People wait before departure on an evacuation bus ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, in Wilmington, N.C.

In this satellite image provided by the National Aeronatics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA), Hurricane Florence churns through the Atlantic Ocean toward the U.S. East Coast on Sept. 12, 2018. The image was captured by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, currently living and working onboard the International Space Station.

Tim Avery pulls boards to the third story of a home as he prepares for Hurricane Florence at a home in Emerald Isle N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.

Sand bags surround homes on North Topsail Beach, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, as Hurricane Florence threatens the coast.

Eduardo Corta cuts plywood boards to put on his mobile home a day before the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 12, 2018. President Donald Trump, warning residents to get out of the way, said the federal government was "ready for the big one that is coming."

Poolside furniture is placed in the pool of a hotel ahead of the approaching Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, 2018 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 

In this satellite image provided by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Florence churns through the Atlantic Ocean toward the U.S. East Coast on Sept. 12, 2018.

Brady Osborne ties freshly filled sandbags, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, in Virginia Beach, Va., as Hurricane Florence moves towards the eastern shore.