Florence's merciless deluge has already killed 18, trapped hundreds and made parts of North and South Carolina impassable -- and the worst flooding is yet to come.
The tropical depression and former hurricane will keep dumping rain over parts of North Carolina the next few days, with numerous rivers expected to crest at major flood stage.
"The worst is still yet to come," said Kevin Arata, spokesman for the North Carolina city of Fayetteville, where the Cape Fear River was rising.
Flooding already is so bad in North Carolina that the state transportation department is flatly telling people not to travel in the state. Numerous highways, including sections of I-95 and I-40, are closed, and road flooding has virtually cut off the coastal city of Wilmington.
And in Lumberton, North Carolina -- a city submerged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 -- residents are bracing for potential disaster as the Lumber River has been leaking through a recently patched-up gap in the levee system.
• Florence is lingering in the Southeast: As of Sunday evening, Florence was centered about 25 miles south-southeast of Greenville, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving west at 14 mph, whipping 35 mph winds.
• The next couple of days: Up to 6 more inches of rain could fall in parts of North Carolina and Virginia from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening, forecasters said. The storm should move up into West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and parts of New England by Tuesday, dropping 2 to 4 inches of rain there.
Residents in Lumberton watched nervously as the Lumber River swelled about 11 feet higher than flood stage. The city was submerged for days after 2016's Hurricane Matthew.
By Sunday afternoon, the Lumber River had reached nearly 24 feet. It is expected to crest late Sunday or early Monday around 25.7 feet.
If the river gets higher than 26 feet, "all bets are off," city public works deputy director Corey Walters said.
Forecasters say many rivers across the state still haven't crested -- some won't crest until late Sunday or Monday.
That means the city is having trouble getting fuel and other critical supplies, too. FEMA crews and power company trucks were turned away Saturday night because of the flooding, Saffo said.
-- Another person in Pender County, according to the county's emergency management director. Details about this death weren't immediately available.