As the Carolina Panthers continued preparations for a Week 2 divisional game against the Atlanta Falcons last week, Hurricane Florence bared down on the southeast coast of North Carolina. Making landfall on Wrightsville Beach, just a few miles east of Wilminton, early Friday morning the slow moving storm dumped record levels of rain across the state.
Moving south after landfall, the storm tracked down into neighboring South Carolina and across near capital, Columbia, before reemerging in western North Carolina on Sunday with even more rain.
The devastating storm has been responsible for 33 deaths (26 in North Carolina, 6 in South Carolina and 1 in Virginia) to this point as waters continue rising from rivers overflowing their banks.