Updated at 9.30pm
A mother and infant were killed in Wilmington when a tree fell on their house as Hurricane Florence crashed into North Carolina on Friday, swamping streets with torrential rain and a powerful storm surge.
Police said they were the first confirmed deaths directly related to storm, while the child's father was taken to the hospital. CNN showed the scene, a small brick house. In Pender County, North Carolina, one woman died after she suffered a heart attack and paramedics were unable to reach her due to blocked roads authorities said.
Hurricane Florence crashed into the Carolinas on Friday with 144 kph winds, torrential rains and a powerful storm surge before slowing to a pace that meant it would plague the area with days of flooding.
The hurricane's storm surge - the wall of water it pushed in from the Atlantic - had "overwhelmed" New Bern, a town of about 30,000 people next to the Neuse River, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said.
"The sun rose this morning on an extremely dangerous situation and it's going to get worse," he said at a news conference in Raleigh. "To those in the storm's path, if you can hear me, please stay sheltered in place."
Cooper said Florence would "continue its violent grind across the state for days."
No storm-related deaths or serious injuries were reported in the hours immediately after Florence hit but authorities said more than 60 people, including many children and pets, had to be evacuated from a hotel in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after strong winds caused parts of the roof to collapse.
The center of the hurricane's eye came ashore at about 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT) near Wrightsville Beach close to Wilmington, North Carolina, with sustained winds of 150 kph, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Cooper said Florence was set to cover almost all of the state in several feet of water. As of Friday morning, Atlantic Beach, a town on North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier island chain, already had received 76 cm of rain, the US Geological Service said.
National Weather Service forecaster Brandon Locklear predicted Florence would drop up to eight months' worth of rain in two or three days.
Authorities in New Bern said more than 100 people had to be saved from floods and that the downtown area was underwater. The town's public information officer, Colleen Roberts, told CNN 150 more people were awaiting rescue.
Helping with rescues there were members of the so-called Cajun Navy, a group of Louisiana-based volunteers who became famous during last year's Hurricane Harvey, locals said on Twitter.
"WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU," New Bern city officials said on Twitter. "You may need to move up to the second storey, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU."
Video reports from several towns in the Carolinas showed emergency personnel wading through thigh-high water in residential neighborhoods.
'IT'S INSANE'
Florence also blew down trees, including one that went through the roof of Kevin DiLoreto's home in Wilmington. He said all roads leading to his neighborhood were blocked by fallen trees.
"It's insane," he said in a phone interview. "Everybody laughs at the fact that this storm got downgraded ... but I've never seen tree devastation this bad.
"Afterwards, I'm going to drink a bottle of whiskey and take a two-day nap, but right now I'm walking the neighborhood and making sure my neighbors are fine, because nobody can get in here."
More than 485,000 homes and businesses were without power in North and South Carolina early on Friday, utility officials said. Utility companies said millions were expected to lose power and restoration could take weeks.
Florence had been a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds on Thursday but dropped to Category 1 before coming ashore. It is expected to move across parts of southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina on Friday and Saturday, then head north over the western Carolinas and central Appalachian Mountains early next week, the NHC said. Significant weakening is expected over the weekend.
About 10 million people could be affected by the storm and more than 1 million were ordered to evacuate the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia.
Some 20,000 people had taken refuge in 157 emergency shelters, Cooper said.
Maysie Baumgardner, 7, and her family sheltered at the Hotel Ballast in downtown Wilmington as the hurricane filled the streets with floodwaters.
"It looks heavy outside," she said. "I'm a little bit scared right now, but I have my iPad and I'm watching Netflix."
Florence was one of two major storms on Friday. In the Philippines, evacuations were under way with Super Typhoon Mangkhut expected to hit on Saturday in an area impacting an estimated 5.2 million people.