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Hurricane Florence Spawns Six Tornadoes, Rescues Underway

As storm nears landfall, crews of Houston’s Harvey volunteers assist with rescues.

Hundreds of people who remained in North Carolina despite a mandatory evacuation notice have been rescued from flash flooding caused by Hurricane Florence. Officials from the region near the city of New Bern said that around 150 people were waiting to be rescued, and New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw said 200 have already been rescued from the rising waters. “We knew it was coming, and we’re working very hard to keep our citizens safe. We were able to evacuate quite a few; some did not go,” he said. There have been no reported casualties as of yet. Crews of volunteers from Houston’s CrowdSource Rescue, which were credited with saving many lives when Hurricane Harvey struck their city last August, said their crafts launched early Friday near New Bern and were coordinating with local emergency officials to help stranded residents. As Hurricane Florence made landfall early Friday, radar indicated six tornadoes in the eastern part of the state. The National Hurricane Center says tornadoes within hurricanes are usually “relatively weak and short-lived, but they still pose a significant threat.”