Carolinas brace for days of floods after Florence's deluge

  • NWS says 'worst is yet to come' for floods
  • Floods expected to grow in coming day
  • 1-year-old boy swept away from car by floodwaters
  • About 462,000 still without power
  • Damage could reach $22 billion, Moody's says

Damages up to $22 billion

North Carolina had deployed around 2,000 boats and 36 helicopters to help people stranded in floods, Michael Sprayberry, the state's director of emergency management, told ABC's "This Week" program on Sunday.

The Coast Guard had 26 helicopters and 11 aircraft looking for people in trouble and rescuing people, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Meredith Austin told reporters on Monday.

Property damage from the storm is expected to total at least $17 billion to $22 billion, but that forecast could be conservative depending on further flooding, risk management firm Moody's Analytics said.

A power outage at a wastewater treatment plant in Wilmington resulted in partially treated sewage water being released into the Cape Fear River, said Reggie Cheatham, director of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Emergency Management.

Sewage releases in the Neuse River also were reported, as well as overflowing manholes.

Overflows also were reported at several hog "lagoons" - used to store waste from pig farms.

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