Hurricane Florence: In pictures

Although Hurricane Florence diminished from a Category 5 storm to a Category 1 before making landfall, and then to a Tropical Storm, its sheer size – 350 miles wide (565 kilometers) — and grinding speed would make it a tough event to weather.

At least eight people were killed by the storm. A mother and her baby were killed when a tree fell on their home in North Carolina. The father, who was injured in the tragic incident, was hospitalized. Authorities believe the death toll could rise as the storm moves out of the area.

Emergency personnel and volunteers rescued roughly 500 people who were trapped by flooding in New Bern. More than 20,000 people have been housed in emergency shelters across North Carolina. The US National Hurricane Center warned of "catastrophic flash flooding."

Authorities are estimated economic damages amounting to up to $60 billion (€51.6 billion). US President Donald Trump is expected to visit "once it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts."

But North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned that the worst could still be yet to come as the state prepared for "several more days of rain." He described the rainfall as a "1,000-year event" destined to change the lives of the Carolinas' residents.

In North Carolina, Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin urged thousands of residents to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere due to the flood risk. "If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible," he said. "The worst is yet to come."

Although the military has been deployed to the Carolinas, US officials said the storm's slow movement is making it difficult to get rescue helicopters airborne. Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, who heads US Northern Command, told AP news agency that Navy aircraft are preparing to launch off the coast to provide more information about the situation.

With flood waters rising faster than expected, many communities have been caught off guard by the additional devastation in the wake of Florence. About 50 people have been airlifted out by helicopter and hundreds more rescued from their homes by boat. But for one of those rescued, he couldn't leave a kitten behind. He's called his new friend "Survivor." ls/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)