´óÏó´«Ã½

A person was killed in Lenoir County while trying to plug in a generator, according to a statement from the governor's office.

A resident of coastal Bellhaven, North Carolina, captured this horrifying footage of the River Pungo flooding homes in the area.

that a female with a medical condition who called for assistance during the storm died after first responders failed to get to her in time because of downed trees blocking their route.

Wake County, home to North Carolina's capital city, Raleigh, is officially under a flash flood warning until this evening.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Laura Trevelyan reports extensive flooding in Wilmington, with the Cape Fear River already overflowing its banks.

The National Hurricane Center's latest update says Hurricane Florence has weakened. It's now sustaining winds at 75 mph (120km/h). While the storm is expected to keep weakening, the torrential rain continues.

The centre says areas of North Carolina have seen over 20 inches (51 cm) of rainfall so far.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports Hurricane Florence is breaking records for high-tide levels.

At Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, Florence's waves were recorded to be over 4ft (1.2m) higher than levels from Hurricane Joaquin in 2015.

Image source, Reuters

On opposite sides of the world, two major storms have forced people to flee their homes and are threatening to bulldoze infrastructure and buildings.

The looming disasters have prompted people to prepare their homes and stock up on supplies. But what is best practice? And how can you cope once a storm has hit?

Here's what officials from both countries advise:

• Installing permanent storm shutters on your home in advance is the safest option
• If there's no time, go for exterior grade or marine plywood
• Have three days' worth of food and water in your supply kit
• Keep candles and battery-powered radios handy
• In the aftermath, avoid going anywhere alone

The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Paul Blake says storm surge flooding in Morehead City on the North Carolina coast is getting worse.

Image source, NOAA

In , 557,793 power outages have been reported.

In , 64,856 are without power.

A local dog shelter in Wake Forest, North Carolina opened up its doors to dozens of dogs from shelters that were forced to evacuate due to the hurricane.

Local residents have offered even more help for the 124 dogs, , and all the animals have found "hurricane homes" to take care of them through the storm.

Sometimes, government shelters are forced to euthanise animals before hurricanes due to over-crowding.

The 202-mile-long (325km) Cape Fear River in North Carolina has begun to flow backward thanks to Hurricane Florence.

A National Weather Service report on the river said there was now an increased change of "potentially catastrophic flooding in the Sandhills and the southern Coastal Plain".

In New Bern, North Carolina, the National Guard has been conducting rescue missions amid flooding and wind damage from Florence.

A couple from North Virginia had planned a beach wedding on the coast of North Carolina this weekend.

Naturally, that plan has been wrecked by Hurricane Florence.

Where, you might ask? In their hometown, which is coincidentally called Hurricane.

Meanwhile, in Charleston, South Carolina, newlyweds on Wednesday brought their nuptials forward by two days to avoid the incoming tropical storm.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

North Carolina's governor tells a news conference that the hurricane is "wreaking havoc" on the state, and entire communities are under threat.

"We're deeply concerned for whole communities which could be wiped away," Roy Cooper said.

"Rescue workers are working in dangerous conditions that will only get worse today."

He says about 500,000 people in the state are without power and a storm surge on the Neuse River is at 10ft (3m).