Category 1 Hurricane Florence left a path of death and destruction on the east coast of the United States before being downgraded to a tropical storm late Friday.
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The hurricane is responsible for the deaths of five people as well as power outages in hundreds of thousands of home in the region. All five deaths, one mother and child, two elderly men and one other woman, were reported in North Carolina.
"Our hearts go out to the families of those who died in this storm," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. "Hurricane Florence is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days. Be extremely careful and stay alert."
Though Florence has been downgraded, forecasters warn of potential life-threatening storm surges that make cause extensive flooding. Florence, one of many weather systems predicted for this season, is expected to dump more rain on the area than Hurricane Matthew which brought some 20 inches, two years ago.
Evacuation warnings remain in place for 1.7 million people in the area. North Carolina residents began the preparation process, boarding up homes Monday.
Reports are that almost 800,000 people are currently without power in North Carolina, with more expected. Officials warned that the restoration of electricity could take days or weeks.
More than 300 people have been rescued, so far, and over 20,000 people are in emergency shelters.
About 2,100 flights have been canceled.
The hurricane packed winds of up to 70 miles per hour, carrying with it storm conditions that are expected to last for several days, as the weather system slowly dissipates.