The Latest: Storm off Carolinas to dump more rain

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (AP) — The Latest on flooding caused by former Hurricane Florence (all times local):

11:50 a.m.

Forecasters say a storm system off the coast of the Florence-battered Carolinas will dump even more rain on the already saturated states.

The National Hurricane Center said on its website Tuesday that a broad area of low pressure about 260 miles (420 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is producing showers and thunderstorms on its north side. Forecasters said it could become a tropical depression Tuesday as it approaches the coast, and will dump rain on the coast regardless.

County officials have recommended that almost 8,000 people leave their homes — more than 10 percent of the population. Officials expect floodwaters to top several bridges, nearly cutting Georgetown County in two and leaving only one highway out during the expected crest early Thursday.

The hurricane center also warned of dangerous surf and rip currents along portions of the North Carolina coast on Tuesday.

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1 a.m.

Eleven days ago, Lee Gantt was at a Hurricane Florence party in her neighborhood in Georgetown, where the story is that some houses near the Sampit River haven’t flooded since they were built before the American Revolution.

Gantt will spend Tuesday with sandbags, watching the nearby river rise from Florence’s heavy rains and seeing if the luck finally runs out on her home built in 1737.

The Sampit is one of five rivers that reach the Atlantic Ocean in and near Georgetown on the South Carolina coast. And Hurricane Florence — which started with record rainfall in North Carolina — is expected to cause record flooding downriver in Georgetown County as its final act. The county has recommended almost 8,000 people leave their homes — more than 10 percent of the population.