Hurricane Florence may have been downgraded to a tropical depression but American authorities on Sunday warned that the worst is yet to come as catastrophic flooding continued to spread, pushing the death toll to 17.
Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, said: "The risk to life is rising with the angry waters."
The storm continued its lingering crawl westward, dumping more than 30 inches of rain in some places since Friday.
Tens of thousands more were ordered to evacuate their homes as rivers threatened to burst their banks, bringing the risk of flash flooding.
Mr Cooper said the storm had "never been more dangerous than it is now", with waters expected to peak on Monday in some places.
Water levels are still rising as Florence weakens and stallsWater levels are still rising as Florence weakens and stalls
He also warned of the risk of landfalls in elevated areas.
Having roared ashore as a hurricane before losing force, local authorities say they are battling complacency as much as the weather.
Authorities in the North Carolina city of Fayetteville ordered residents living near two rivers to evacuate.
"If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible," Mayor Mitch Colvin said.
In Wilmington , with roads leading in and out of the city underwater and streams still swelling upward, residents waited for hours outside stores and restaurants for basic necessities like water. Police guarded the door of one store, and only 10 people were allowed inside at a time.
Viewers mock Hurricane Florence TV coverage with homemade catastrophe videos
Woody White, chairman of the board of commissioners of New Hanover County, said officials were planning for food and water to be flown into the coastal city of nearly 120,000 people.
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"Our roads are flooded," he said. "There is no access to Wilmington."
About 70 miles away from the coast, residents near the Lumber River stepped from their homes directly into boats floating in their front yards; river forecasts showed the scene could be repeated in towns as far as 250 miles (400 kilometers) inland as waters rise for days.
David Goldman/AP
Half way around the world, meanwhile, Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into southern China on Sunday after lashing the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left dozens dead.
More than 2.4 million people were evacuated from China’s southern Guangdong province ahead of the massive typhoon, the strongest to hit the region in nearly two decades.
Typhoon Mangkhut leaves trail of devastation – in pictures
In North Carolina, fears of what could be the worst flooding in the state’s history led officials to order tens of thousands to evacuate, though it wasn’t clear how many had fled or even could. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said officials were focused on finding people and rescuing them.
"We’ll get through this. It’ll be ugly, but we’ll get through it," Long told NBC’s "Meet The Press."
President Donald Trump said federal emergency workers, first responders and law enforcement officials were "working really hard." As the storm "begins to finally recede, they will kick into an even higher gear. Very Professional!" he declared in a tweet.
FEMA, First Responders and Law Enforcement are working really hard on hurricane Florence. As the storm begins to finally recede, they will kick into an even higher gear. Very Professional!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2018
Death toll rises
The storm’s death toll climbed to at least 17 when a 3-month-old child was killed when a tree fell across a mobile home in North Carolina. Earlier, officials said three people died in separate, weather-related traffic accidents in South Carolina.
Victor Merlos was overjoyed to find a store open for business in Wilmington since he had about 20 relatives staying at his apartment, which still had power. He spent more than $500 on cereal, eggs, soft drinks and other necessities, plus beer.
"I have everything I need for my whole family," said Merlos. Nearby, a Waffle House restaurant limited breakfast customers to one biscuit and one drink, all take-out, with the price of $2 per item.
Reuters/Jonathan Drake
Kenneth Campbell had donned waterproof waders intending to check out his home in Lumberton , but he didn’t bother when he saw the Coast Guard and murky waters in his neighbourhood.
"I’m not going to waste my time. I already know," he said.
Environmental risk from industrial farming
As rivers swelled, state regulators and environmental groups were monitoring the threat from gigantic pig and poultry farms located in low-lying, flood-prone areas.
The industrial-scale farms contain vast pits of animal faeces and urine that can pose a significant pollution threat if they are breached or inundated by floodwaters. In past hurricanes, flooding at dozens of farms also left hundreds of thousands of dead pigs, chickens and other decomposing livestock bobbing in floodwaters.
Steve Helber/AP
Stream gauges across the region showed water levels rising steadily, with forecasts calling for rivers to crest Sunday and Monday at or near record levels. The Defence Department said about 13,500 military personnel had been assigned to help relief efforts.
Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles from the North Carolina coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000.
John Rose owns a furniture business with stores less than a mile from the river. Rain-soaked furniture workers helped him quickly empty more than 1,000 mattresses from a warehouse in a low-lying strip mall.
"It’s the first time we’ve ever had to move anything like this," Mr Rose said. "If the river rises to the level they say it’s going to, then this warehouse is going to be under water."
Fayetteville city officials, meanwhile, got help from the Nebraska Task Force One search and rescue team to evacuate 140 residents of an assisted-living facility to a safer location at a church.