Photos and videos show the destruction and power of Florence

While Florence is, as of 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, now “just” a tropical storm, it has still ripped the Carolina coast with heavy winds and record-breaking rainfall, causing widespread damage for humans and wildlife alike. 

Photos and videos from around the region, and particularly North Carolina, showed the power that Florence contained as it came ashore, leading to rescues across the area.

Residents of New Bern, NC and their dog are rescued from rising floodwaters caused by Hurricane Florence.

Rescues were underway even as Florence’s heavy rains and winds continued to batter the region.

Wildlife also found itself directly affected by Florence’s floodwaters, including these deer seen swimming through neck-deep water.

And dolphins were spotted closer than usual to shore near in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

Nearly three feet of rain has fallen on portions of North Carolina, a reported record for the state for rainfall from a single storm. 

Heavy rains and storm surge created destructive flooding of several feet throughout the Carolina coast.

Boats are stacked up on each other in a marina as a result from Florence in New Bern, North Carolina.

A statue reaches above Florence’s floodwaters in North Carolina.

Sam Parks walks through flooded Water Street as Hurricane Florence comes ashore in Wilmington, North Carolina

Florence’s flooding claims a couple of cars and the first story of a house in New Bern, NC.

Kim Adams wades through waist-deep floodwaters at her home in Southport, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, at least one gator seemed to be cool with the outer bands of wind and rain that whipped the Myrtle Beach area.

The effects of Florence won’t be fading anytime soon, either, as current forecasts have upwards of 15-to-20 additional inches of rain possible for areas of North and South Carolina will Florence’s remnants will linger for the next 48 to 72 hours.