(9/15/18) — The total number of deaths contributed to Hurricane Florence is now up to seven in North Carolina, according to officials.
Director of Emergency Services in Carteret County, Stephen Rea, confirmed to CBS News Saturday that two people died there Friday morning — those deaths had not been previously reported, which brings the total up from five to seven.
Rea confirmed that two people died on Harkers Island. He said the deceased did not drown, but he wouldn’t say how they died.
Officials said Friday that a person died in Lenoir County while trying to plug in a generator.
Lenoir County Emergency Services Director Roger Dail reports a 78-year-old man was electrocuted at a residence on Silver Smith Circle in Kinston. He was trying to connect two extension cords outside in the rain. His body was discovered by family members.
A press release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office confirmed the death, as well as the mother and infant that died in Wilmington when a tree fell on a home.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who died in this storm,” Cooper said in the release. “Hurricane Florence is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days. Be extremely careful and stay alert.”
A 77-year-old man’s body was also discovered at his residence on Middle Street in Kinston at 8 a.m. Friday by his family. Officials believe his death was caused when he was blown down by the wind when he went to check on his hunting dogs.
A woman in Pender County died of a heart attack during the storm after emergency crews were unable to get to her home following a 911 call. Emergency crews were using a front-end loader to clear a path to get to a woman having a heart attack at the height of the storm. Operations were stopped when a tree branch fell, shattering the windshield of the machine. Officials considered the death to be storm-related.
