Hurricane Florence makes landfall in United States with winds, rains

Hurricane Florence smashed into the US East Coast with howling winds, torrential rains and life-threatening storm surges as emergency crews scrambled to rescue hundreds of people stranded in their homes by flood waters.

Forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding and other mayhem from the monster storm, which is only Category 1 but physically sprawling and dangerous. The port city of Wilmington woke to the sound of exploding electrical transformers with strong gusts throwing street signs and other debris as well as water in all directions.

Philippines raises typoon alert
Tuguegarao: The Philippines raised its storm warning on Friday and warned of major destruction, hours before Super Typhoon Mangkhut was due to make landfall with fierce winds and drenching rain.

Trump rejects Puerto Rico storm toll
US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected the official death toll from last year's Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, saying it had been inflated to almost 3,000 as part of a ploy to make him look bad.

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