US: Florence's death toll climbs to 17

NEW YORK

The death toll from Florence rose to at least 17 as the storm crept slowly westward over the Carolinas Sunday, dumping massive amounts of water on the region.

At least 11 people were killed in North Carolina and six others in South Carolina, including a 3-month baby killed by a falling tree.

Massive flooding heavily affected both states, and while the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression, forecasters are still warning of flash floods throughout the region.

Some 2,800 homes were urged to evacuate due to flooding around Cape Fear River in North Carolina.

Power outages from Hurricane Florence have impacted about one million residents in two states.

Florence has broken the record for rainfall in the state, bringing in over 30 inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Numerous locations have reported having over 20 inches of rainfall so far, with more expected over the next few days.

Ryan Maue, a meteorologist at weathermodels.com, predicted that Florence will drop a total of 18 trillion gallons of water over the Mid-Atlantic coast, according to the Associated Press, adding up to roughly the amount of water in the Chesapeake Bay.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for North Carolina, freeing up federal resources to boost recovery efforts, the White House confirmed Saturday. He made the declaration Friday.

Trump previously declared states of emergency in North and South and Virginia to the north.

Reporting by Dildar Baykan; Writing by Faruk Zorlu