REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
People walk on a local street as water from Neuse River starts flooding houses upon Hurricane Florence coming ashore in New Bern, North Carolina, U.S., September 13, 2018
- The newsroom of ABC affiliate WCTI12 in New Bern, North Carolina was evacuated while meteorologists were live on air covering Hurricane Florence.
- New Bern - which was under evacuation orders - is contending with rising floodwaters from rainfall and the storm surge associated with Florence.
- 150 people remain trapped in New Bern, and FEMA rescuers are trying to reach them.
- Follow our live updates page for the latest on the storm.
A newsroom in New Bern, North Carolina was evacuated while two meteorologists were live on air covering the onslaught of Hurricane Florence.
"We have a situation that has developed here, and that is the water getting close to the building," Donnie Cox, the chief meteorologist for local ABC affiliate WCTI12 in New Bern, North Carolina said during a live broadcast Thursday evening. "The building has been evacuated, but just so you know, we are staying here to keep you updated."
But seconds later in the broadcast, Cox said, "the situation has developed here that our building had to be evacuated and everyone had been asked to leave immediately."
The station is moving its coverage to a sister channel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to a post on WCTI12's Facebook page.
Pictures posted on WCTI's website show the station inundated with floodwater.
Screenshot/ WCTI
WCTI-TV NewsChannel 12 in New Bern, N.C., was forced to evacuate due to Hurricane Florence, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018.
New Bern is a town of around 30,000 people on the Neuse River, near North Carolina's coast. The area is contending with rising floodwaters as Hurricane Florence brings storm surge and rain into the low-lying town. The town was under evacuation orders, but 150 people were trapped there by the storm as of Friday morning.
"Currently ~150 awaiting rescue in New Bern," the city's Twitter page said late Thursday. "We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. More are on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU."
It is not yet clear whether these people have been successfully rescued.
Hurricane Florence's center made landfall at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on 7.15 a.m. ET Friday morning.
Winds up to 80 mph are lashing the coast, and a storm surge up to 11 feet high is expected in some areas, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm could drop up to 40 inches of rain, causing "catastrophic" floods and a "life-threatening" situation, the NHC said.
So far, floodwater as deep as 6.3 feet and wind gusts as fast as 105 mph have been recorded.
Read more of Business Insider's hurricane coverage:
- Photos and videos show the flooding and devastation as Hurricane Florence hits North Carolina
- Hurricane Florence has 150 trapped, stranded as flood waters swallow small North Carolina town
- Weather Channel video illustrates the horrifying reality of towering floodwater in North Carolina
- Hurricane Florence could dump up to 40 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas - here's why the deluge may be so intense
- Hurricane Florence could bring a wall of water up to 11 feet high - here's what a storm surge is and why it forms
- The 14 most important things you should do to prepare for a hurricane
- 'Watch out, America!': Astronauts in space photographed Hurricane Florence, and they say the view is 'chilling'