Two People Have Passed Away And More Than Half A Million Residents Are Without Power Due To Hurricane Florence In North Carolina

Readers, lets continue to keep those affected by Hurricane Florence in out thoughts and prayers! @CNN is reporting that at least two people have lost their lives in the massive storm.

The fatalities were reported in Wilmington, North Carolina, where a tree fell on a home, killing a mother and an infant, according to the city's police department. The father was taken to a hospital with injuries.

Those are the first reported storm- related deaths due to the hurricane, which made landfall around 7:15a.m. today in North Carolina. There are also reports of people being trapped in flooded homes and more than 620,000 customers are without power in North Carolina and South Carolina as of Friday afternoon.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned residents to brace themselves as the violent Category 1 hurricane is expected to thrash the state into the weekend.

In New Bern, North Carolina, rescuers had saved more than 200 people from rising waters by mid-morning Friday, but about 150 more had to wait as conditions worsened and a storm surge reached 10 feet, officials said..

Florence's rain is expected to bring 40 inches to some parts of the Carolinas, forecasters said. The hurricane has forced 26,000 others into more than 200 emergency shelters across the two states and prompted more than 60 people to evacuate from a hotel in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after part of the roof collapsed, according to city officials.

More than 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 40,000 electric workers have mobilized to respond to the storm.

The hurricane has also caused the cancelation of more than 1,100 flights along the East Coast on Friday and Saturday.