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Tropical Storm Italia continues path of destruction as it moves out to sea
After making landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning as a Category 3 hurricane, Italia lashed parts of southeastern Georgia and the Carolinas, causing coastal flooding and hundreds of thousands of power outages.
Italia weakened to a tropical storm early Thursday, causing life-threatening flash flooding in parts of eastern North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.
Here are other developments from Italia early this Thursday:
About the Carolinas: Tropical Storm Italia was centered about 32 km southwest of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 96 km/h as of 2 a.m. ET Thursday. The storm will move near the North Carolina coast late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Flooding in North Carolina: The National Weather Service said 2 to 5 inches of rain fell in southeastern parts of the state, including the Wilmington area, where a flash flood warning was in effect early Thursday morning. Parts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Bender counties are under warnings.
Flood Rescue: First responders rescued about 150 residents from flooded areas in Pasco County, Florida, north of Tampa, the county fire chief said.
Thousands of houses damaged: In Pasco County, Florida alone, 4,000 to 6,000 homes have been flooded, according to County Administrator Mike Carballa.
Historical Water Levels: Water in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina rose more than 9 feet, making it the fifth-highest level ever recorded, the National Weather Service said. Florida’s Cedar Key, East Bay Tampa, Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg also experienced unprecedented storm surges.
Thousands of people in the dark: As of Thursday morning, about 143,000 homes and businesses were without power in Florida. According to the monitoring site PowerOutage.us, there were 112,000 outages in Georgia, about 31,000 in South Carolina and about 20,000 in North Carolina.
Residents are asked to stay indoors: Florida officials are urging residents to avoid being outdoors as cleanup and search efforts continue. Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett cited the dangers of downed trees and power lines.
Boil Water Notice: Portions of Florida’s DeSoto, Dixie, Leon, Levy, Marion and Taylor counties are under boil water advisories issued by the state Department of Health.
Some school districts will reopen: DeSantis said at least 30 of the 52 school districts closed before the storm will reopen Thursday. Eight districts will reopen on Friday.