Rescues needed in Hurricane Florence's heavy rains

It's about the water, not the wind, with Hurricane Florence making an extended stay along the North Carolina coast. Forecasters say "it cannot be emphasized enough that the most serious hazard associated with slow-moving Florence is extremely heavy rainfall, which will cause disastrous flooding that will be spreading inland." Top sustained winds made it just a Category 1 hurricane but some communities were already submerged in more than 6 feet (2 metres) of water as the storm drenched the coast.

By the numbers

-Still big: about 340 miles (547 kilometers) wide, with hurricane-force winds stretching across a 70-mile (113-kilometer) span

-Heavy rains: Up to 18 trillion gallons falling on seven states over seven days, as much water as there is the entire Chesapeake Bay

-So far: roughly 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain already has fallen north of Swansboro, North Carolina, and it's only going to get worse

-Storm surge: up to 13 feet (nearly 4 meters), and seawaters could push inland 2 miles (more than 3 kilometers), depending on how long Florence lingers

-Stalled: Florence was nearly at a standstill Friday afternoon, moving at just 5 mph (7 kph)

-Fatal hazards: historically, 49 percent of U.S. hurricane deaths come from storm surge, 27 percent from rain, 8 percent from wind, 6 percent from surf, 6 percent were offshore and 3 percent from tornadoes

-Intensity: Florence came ashore with top winds of 90 mph (145 kph), below the 111 mph (178 kph) threshold for a "major" hurricane but still extremely dangerous

-In the dark: more than 645,000 outages, mostly in North Carolina, as of Friday morning, with Duke Energy anticipating 1 million to 3 million homes and businesses losing power

-Protected: 12,000 people in shelters in North Carolina, 4,000 in South Carolina and 400 in Virginia

-Populated coastline: 11 million Americans live in areas under storm watches and warnings

-Grounded: nearly 2,100 flights canceled

-Potential losses: estimated $10 billion to $60 billion in economic damages

-Rescued: more than 400 people needed help in high waters in New Bern and Jacksonville, North Carolina