Florence Death Toll In North Carolina Now Stands At 25

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina’s confirmed death toll officially attributed to Hurricane Florence is now at 25, with an additional six deaths in confirmed in South Carolina, according to reports.

“This is an epic storm that is still continuing because the rivers continue to rise,” Cooper said Monday at a press conference. “This is a monumental disaster for our state.”

In many parts of the state, the danger was “still immediate,” he said in a press conference.

Cooper’s update included confirming that 17 deaths were attributed to the storm — a number that included a one-year-old boy who was swept out of the grip of his mother Sunday night in Union County. Searchers found his body Monday morning.

“We know that raging rivers are out there and more lives could be claimed," Cooper said.

According to North Carolina Department of Public Safety, 17 confirmed deaths were reported in the following counties as of Monday morning: Cleveland (1), Columbus (1), Cumberland (2), Duplin, (4), Gaston (1), Lenoir (2), New Hanover (2), Onslow (1), Scotland (1), Union (1) and Wayne (1). The eight additional fatalities were reported later in the day.

Cooper stressed the importance for residence to stay aware as weather improves. “The ground is saturated and even a small amount of rain could cause flash flooding,” Cooper said.

By Monday morning, more than 1,200 roads were closed throughout the state, including 356 primary roads and portions of Interstate 95 and Interstate 40.

Perhaps no other city in North Carolina has felt the immediate impact of road closures like Wilmington, which has been cut off from ground transportation for days due to flooding. Monday morning, however, a limited route was temporarily cleared, which allowed 23 truckloads of relief supplies and food to get into the city, Cooper said.

Flood waters left Wilmington virtually cut off Sunday as homes and businesses in the city and other parts of New Hanover County faced the threat of losing access to drinking water because a major utility is critically low on fuel. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority warned residents to prepare for the worst in a statement on its website Sunday when customers were asked to begin making contingency plans, including filling up bathtubs and water jugs. "Basically, Wilmington is currently cut off from the rest of the state," the agency said. "Needed resources cannot get here by roads due to extreme flooding."

State emergency officials, however, don’t have complete certainty that the route established Monday morning can be sustained over the next week due to anticipated flooding and “this route may disappear tonight,” Cooper said.

North Carolina Department of Public Health has established an emotional distress crisis hotline. That number is 1-800-985-5990.

Related coverage:

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• 'This Storm Is A Monster': NC Governor Orders Coastal Evacuation
• Hurricane Florence Threatens Pigs, Catastrophic Waste Spills
• Freeze Your Leftovers And Other Tips Ahead Of Hurricane Florence
• Duke Energy: Florence Will Leave Millions Without Power For Weeks
• Florence Downgraded To Tropical Storm, Relentless Rain Continues
• Entire Blue Ridge Parkway To Closed To Traffic
• Wild Horses, Ponies Should Weather Hurricane Florence Just Fine
• 1,000 Out-Of-State Lineman Arrive In NC To Combat Storm Outages
• Driving Near Flooded Rivers, Roads: Do's And Don'ts

Photo: Road closed signs sit on Rt40 due to flooding, on September 17, 2018 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington as a category 1 storm causing widespread power outages and flooding across North Carolina. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)