A woman and her 8-month-old child in North Carolina are the first reported Hurricane Florence casualties.
The pair died after a tree fell on their home Friday, according to a tweet from Wilmington Police. The infant’s father was also injured in the incident and transported to hospital.
WATCH: Mother and 8-month-old child killed in North Carolina after tree falls on house
“We are saddened today to announce the first fatalities of this storm here in Wilmington,” said police chief Ralph Evangelous Friday.
Get daily National news
“A mother and her approximately 8-month-old infant were killed after a tree fell onto the house, crushing them.”
Police and firefighters responded to the home around 9:30 a.m., Evangelous said. He did not provide an update on the father’s status.
-
![]()
Hurricane Florence: Elderly woman rescued from home in New Bern, NC -
![]()
Hurricane Florence: Powerful winds and rain from storm tears down gas station roof -
![]()
Hurricane Florence: Americans captivated by live stream of tattered American flag -
![]()
Sign explodes as torrential rains, wind hit Jacksonville from Hurricane Florence -
![]()
Hurricane Florence: Rescuers use boats to reach stranded residents in New Bern, NC -
![]()
Belhaven, NC under several feet of water as Hurricane Florence makes landfall
Identities of the deceased have not been released. Photos from the scene showed a woman, said to be a family member, in tears after learning of the deaths.
A curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. has been issued in Wilmington, which sits along the coast of North Carolina near where the hurricane was expected to make landfall. The area has been under a voluntary evacuation order since Monday when the state’s governor urged residents to get out of harm’s way.
“We face three critical threats from Florence: ocean surge along our coast, strong winds, and inland flooding from heavy rain,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.
“Wherever you live in North Carolina, you need to get ready for this storm now, and you need to evacuate if asked to.”
WATCH: ‘Stay off the roads’: North Carolina officials warn residents to keep roads clear
More than a million people fled the Carolinas and Virginia as Category 1 Hurricane Florence neared. The slow-moving storm is expected to dump as much as a metre of rain and bring a storm surge of up to three metres in some areas.
The storm made landfall Friday morning.
Comments