With over 17 billion dollars in damages and over 40 deaths, Hurricane Florence experts say, a 1 in a 1000 event, is one the most devastating weather phenomena in southeastern states of the U.S.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland declared a ‘state of emergency’ prior to the major floods, as this was the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season. This category 4 hurricane flooded hundreds of homes and broke crest records nearly two times over their flood limit.

President Donald Trump tweeted out condolences to the families of the dead on Saturday, mistakenly saying there were only five deaths after authorities had already raised the toll.

Five deaths have been recorded thus far with regard to hurricane Florence! Deepest sympathies and warmth go out to the families and friends of the victims. May God be with them!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2018

Fortunately, pollution showed no threat when over 150 dump trucks worth of toxic waste escaped from of the Sutton Power Plant. Floodwaters in North Carolina and Virginia breached two major coal and ash storage facilities, releasing impurities like arsenic and mercury, which fortunately did not contaminate lakes nearby.

Thousands of families stay housed in camps, and as of September 22nd, their supplies are running low. “We just don’t want people to think this is over because it’s not. It’s not anywhere,” North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said on Saturday.

According to Duke Energy, the main energy provider in the Carolinas, 450,000 customers remain without power as of Sunday afternoon. “Our crews during the past 24 hours have made significant progress restoring power in areas of the Carolinas where it is safe to do,” said Duke Energy incident commander Howard Fowler.

As Hurricane Florence moves up north at escalating speeds, more and more residents of the northeastern parts of the U.S are seeking shelter and are preparing for the worst.