Florence death toll increases to 48; 1,500 still in NC shelters
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — The death toll from Hurricane Florence has increased again, nearly two weeks after the eye of the storm reached the Carolinas.
North Carolina Emergency Operations Centre spokeswoman Sonja Bennett-Bellamy said Thursday that an 85-year-old man from New Hanover County died Tuesday. The man contracted an infection in a wound he received while cleaning up storm debris on his property.
The death toll now stands at 48 deaths in three states, 37 of them in North Carolina.
Governor Roy Cooper said Thursday that motorists still need to be on alert for high water even as rivers recede and more roads open.
Cooper said 1,500 people still remain in shelters. More than 550 people have enrolled in a programme to stay in hotels while longer-term housing is arranged.
