First Deaths Reported From Hurricane Florence After Tree Falls On NC Family’s Home

by Chris White

Hurricane Florence took its first two victims Friday afternoon when a mother and infant were killed after a tree fell on their North Carolina home, according to local police reports.

The father was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington for medical care, according to a tweet from the Wilmington police’s Twitter profile.

“WPD can confirm the first two fatalities of Hurricane #Florence in Wilmington. A mother and infant were killed when a tree fell on their house. The father was transported to NHRMC with injuries,” WPD wrote.

Florence, a powerful Category 1 storm, is churning its way south along the Carolina coast hours after making technical landfall Friday morning. The storm was about 35 miles west-southwest of Wilmington as of 2 p.m. EST.

Roughly 400,000 people have lost power after Florence began making the rounds across South Carolina coasts. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday that he is concerned “whole communities” could be wiped away.

“Hurricane Florence is powerful, slow and relentless,” he told reporters. “It’s an uninvited brute who doesn’t want to leave.”

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org