Hurricane Florence hits North Carolina. Florence claimed its first victims, including a woman and her infant child in Wilmington, N.C., hours after landfall Friday, local authorities confirmed. A flotilla of boats began rescuing people in New Bern, N.C., early Friday, where volunteers were using their own vessels to rescue hundreds stranded in flooded homes. The coastal town was under a mandatory evacuation order, but many chose to ride out the storm. Officials said about 200 have been rescued so far and 150 more need help.