>> we can give you a shot of the pier. the pier is gone. gone. street signs flying like a weapon. that's the street we're on right now. you can see the wind pushing those waves back. knocking them down keeping the surge at bay. >> the situation in myrtle beach, roughly 5,000 people are without power. >> little by little, we're watching the destruction. we heard about the water and the surge. >> neil: well, we knew it was mean. now we know it's deadly.

welcome. i'm neil cavuto. fox news confirming four people have been killed because of hurricane florence. including a mom and a child that died when a tree fell on their house. the latest death involving someone trying to plug in a generator. that's all we know. dramatic boat rescues are continuing in new bern, north carolina. 360 people have already been rescued. another 140 people are still waiting. and more than 60 retrieved from a motel in jacksonville, north carolina. this after the walls started caving in. across the state, more than 12,000 people are in shelters. more than 600,000 residents are without power and could be for some time. fox team coverage from across the area including north carolina with rick leventhal in wrightsville beach where florence was packing winds in excess of 90 miles an hour when it hit. steve harrigan in north topsail beach where rough surf and high winds are still wreaking havoc. we begin with steve.

hi, steve. >> yeah, the wind here has not let up for the past 24 hours. we've had about 20 inches of rain. the beach is gone. the water has overtopped the sand dunes and flowing into the ball. it's the wind here that's been the story. it's strong enough to snap branches and knock parts of the houses off. anything made of wood that is an attachment, the balcony, stairway, gate, we've been watched as they have been blown off into the road. when you look down the road, it's a stretch of debris. you can't really drive the roads right now because of the debris, because of the wind and a lot hoff it is covered by water. we've seen a number of power lines down. the island is without power. 600,000 people in north carolina are still without power. so really right now, there's no way off the island.

an island with no power. the police have shut down the bridge that goes to the main island. most of the people have heeded the warning. neil, back to you. >> neil: thank you. be safe. now to rick leventhal in wrightsville beach, north carolina where hurricane florence first made landfall. >> neil, we're still getting buffeted by strong gusts of wind. look down south. you can see the minor damage here. a roof came down, sheet metal in the street and trees as well. as you walk around, we can show you where the worst of it was. they set a record here, neil, at 11:00 a.m. the water was 5 feet above, almost 5 feet above the high tide that is a record for wrightsville beach. this is up lumina avenue.

there's trees down, wires down. it was underwater this morning. we had water -- midway up the sides of the doors of the van as we tried to get out and move to higher ground, which we were able to do. no one else on the roads here because it's pretty much everyone evacuated. that was not the case in new bern. authorities have rescued now we're told at least 360 people and they have another 140 people that they know that they have to pluck out because of flooding there where two rivers meet the atlantic in new bern where they predict catastrophic flooding and they have with hundreds of people trapped in their homes and calling for help. the governor has said this is a 1,000 year rain event. the rain is going to continue for days. if the winds stay as strong as they are now, that could help -- hamper the help that they're trying to get in to some of

these people that need it. they're hoping the winds die down and that will allow these first responders that have been prestaged to go in and start giving assistance to the people that need it most, neil. >> neil: rick leventhal, thanks very much. by the way, speaking of these events, the president wants to pay a visit to the north carolina and south carolina area sometime next week. the president is expected to travel there. this is coming from john roberts quoting white house officials. he doesn't want to get in the way or disrupt recovery efforts. president wants to be there sometime next week. on the phone with us right now, wrightsville beach, north carolina police chief dan howes. a lot of people are stubborn and they feel it's more of a hassle to leave.

how many took you up on your offer? >> we were lucky. most of our residents in wrightsville beach heeded our warning. when the storm came in, it was coming in as a category four. the last time we had a cat four was hurricane hazel in 1954, which devastated wrightsville beach. so we knew we had a powerful storm that could impact our community. when we put that message out, luckily our citizens listened. >> neil: what do you do to those that didn't or sticking around or just stragglers? what do you do? >> we went door-to-door to everybody. we asked them to leave. even some that originally said, you know, hey, i made it through bertha or fran, we're going to stick around, luckily for us, before the storm hit actually did leave the beach. >> neil: so what do you look for now? still a pounding rain and other

problems to deal with. what are you looking for now? >> today at high tide was really what -- what we were worried about, we didn't know how much washover we would get or -- luckily we have robust dune system. we didn't have the washover. we have a high tide this evening around midnight. so we're concerned with that. once we get through that, we'll gear towards recovery. >> shepard: thanks, chief. thank you for all you're doing. yeoman's work. sometimes it can be thankless work. i know that doesn't matter to you. appreciate it, circumstance. >> thank you. >> neil: jeff flock reporting now. how are conditions there? >> i'm just down on the beach, neil, to take a look at this storm surge that is coming in right now. fortunately we're at low tide.

the wind won't quit. as they say, it's not a really a wind event. but you couldn't prove it by me at the moment. the wind is still pushing the water as the storm has come down and a huge storm, pushing the water now on the beach, a beach that has been eroded. perhaps you can tell by the sand that is just blasting off the beach. more importantly, the dune and the berm eroded. that is the thing that is keeping the storm surge at bay and not having it overwash and come in to the town of carolina beach. it's already got as i'd show you on fox business, it's already got downtown flooding. but these waves as you can see right now are being fed by the storm. they're doing a good job of pushing this water in. i do think fortunately we're at

low tide now, near low tide. your last guest just said, as you get passed the high tide tonight, maybe we're good. i suspect we're good. but again, i never expected we would get this kind of intensity on the back side of the storm that we're getting right now. as you know, this is up and down the coast. we're not alone. it's not catastrophic in terms of wind but it's a very strong blow and it's causing damage and potentially surge to cause further problems. neil? >> neil: thanks, jeff, very much. the winds are still whipping around there. south carolina seems to be next in its sights here. that doesn't mean that it will be as bad as what's going on in north carolina. it could be. then the issue of who handled who and how in terms of the money involved. a live report from fema after this. this is a story about mail and packages.

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>> neil: all right. there's some repair work that has to be done. that is when florence hit topsail beach in north carolina. there was a lot of damage. we haven't had it totalled up here. something that my next guest thinks about. live from fema headquarters. doctor, thanks for taking the time. way too early to sort of keep track of all of the damage and everything else. is fema ready to deal with this? >> fema is ready to support our state and local partners throughout the impact area. but it's important -- this is going to be impacting a wide

area over a long period of time, this will be with us for quite some time. certainly over the weekend and next week with inland flooding to be devastating in some areas. >> neil: i was thinking last year when we had harvey and irma and maria and close to $9 billion that was handled by policy holders. i'm thinking, we're starting off here at a pretty brisk pace. is fema able with the flood insurance program as well to deal with all of this? >> yeah, well, first of all, our flood insurance program is very important to the american people. it provides financial protection against flood losses. unfortunately too few americans have flood insurance. without having flood insurance, you're leaving yourself and your families vulnerable. the program unfortunately is in need of quite a bit of reform. for that, we need congress. that's not what we're here to talk about. we're taking care of survivors.

those with flood insurance will get taken care of. without insurance, fema will be there for you to help you no matter what. >> and i hate to get back to funding issues. it's what you have to do. these are the resources you use. policy holders and their premiums were supposed to pay for this and the ongoing help that groups like fema and many balked at that. i know it wasn't long ago that the man that headed fema during the obama administration had said, it's damn near impossible for the program not to lose money in that kind of environment i it puts you on defense, doesn't it? >> it does. we need to put the program on firm financial footing. in other words to do that, we need risk adjusted rates and an affordability program.

for that, congress has to act. for now, the best we can do. those that have policies, you know, rest assured, we will pay out the claims. those that don't have policies, those outside the impact area saying hmm, should i have flood insurance? the answer is yes. you should go to floodsmart.gov. >> and if you have a mortgage, you should have it. it's different if you paid off your property or whatever. but that is what it is to your point. i'm wondering whether you expect it will be busy for your guys in the next few days after the rain settles down and all that. there's going to be a lot of damaged homes and damages, period. >> yes. sorry. the audio cut out. the last part is there going to be damage. there's going to be extensive damage and flooding damage will be most pronounced. the number 1 damage producing

hazard is flooding. causes a tremendous amount of financial loss and too many lives are lost because of storm surge. now we're focused on inland flooding. this will be with us several days. those people in low-lying areas, it's incredibly dangerous to be in the low-lying areas when you're getting rain not in inches but measured in field. >> neil: this has a sandy deal to it. it wasn't a serious hurricane. when it touched, it was a category one and then just a surge -- i'm saying "just." it was horrific damage. one of the most expensive storms this country has seen. do you get that feel with this or what? >> yeah, again, the biggest loss-causing hazard is flooding. it's too early to say, but with this amount of rain, it's going to be quite expensive. it's going to be expensive to

homeowners, to governments losing roads and bridges i'm sure and public buildings that will be severely damaged by this flooding. >> neil: dan, thank you for all you're doing. it's not easy. dan is here to remind you the president doesn't want to visit this area next week. he doesn't want to get in the way or distract from recovery efforts and all of that stuff but something that he hopes to do next week. meantime, dramatic rescues in new bern, north carolina. 300 people already saved. about 140 are still trapped and waiting for help. the coast guard official in charge of that area and maybe an update on those people after this. experience a blend of refined craftsmanship... ...and raw power. engineered to take the crown. the lexus ls 500 and ls 500h. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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>> welcome back. i'm chief meteorologist rick

reichmuth. continuing to cover hurricane florence with "your world" and neil cavuto. watching the storm. the center still off the shore. getting close to north carolina and south carolina border. the wind motion here continuing to push all of this energy up towards the coast. so the storm surge came on shore having a very hard time pulling offshore. that will likely be the case a couple days. the storm surge is in there and we have a lot of rain places like new bern, morehead city. take a look at these bands of storms. continuing to bring rainfall rates that are probably somewhere between 3 and 5 inches an hour. this is the spot that is likely seen over 20 inches of rain by this point. we're going to continue to watch that significant flooding threat go on the next number of days. today and tomorrow, heaviest of the rain still across parts of southern north carolina and eastern areas of south carolina. as we move to sunday, that rain

moves in across parts of the appalachians, monday, same story. tuesday, by the time we're done with this, we'll see an additional likely 20 to 25 inches of rain in some spots. now, we've seen all kinds of damaging pictures that have come in over the last eight, 12 hours from the storm. want to watch what we're watching with the heavy flooding ongoing. we're going to see the rain across the appalachians here sunday and monday. all of that rain has to drain down through the rivers. these are flood forecasts, river forecasts for some of the rivers across north carolina. take a look at this little river here. talking about a record river level. that doesn't happen until say sunday and monday. here's the levels now. we're going to be about four to six feet higher than we have ever been on this river and stays that way for five to six days. all of that water continues to pull offshore. go to northeast cape fear river.

a level that gets there sunday and monday and stays at that record level well into next week. same goes as you go a little further down the cape fear river. we're seeing heavy rainfall and the river levels will rise well out of their banks and well above record flood level stage for much of the week. we're here now, going there by the time we get to sunday and monday. that's why we're watching this, looking for this to be a long-term flooding event that we're just at the very beginning of it. back to neil. >> neil: the u.s. coast guard rear admiral keith smith is here. he's in north carolina where they need him and the services there. the coast guard has been involved in a number of rescue operations including one in new bern, north carolina. commander, thanks for joining us. >> neil, thanks for the opportunity. i appreciate the time. >> neil: so what are you hearing from your men and women on the scene? >> first of all, this is a coast

guard response. we're working closely with our partners from the state and the federal government as we do this. this is not just coast guard. this is working with our other agencies. the coast guard is ready. why have to add responses out and resources out and we're ready to respond. we're encountering some challenges. the storm moves slowly across the state of north carolina. impacting our ability to get our helicopters on scene. we did try to launch a helicopter in new bern. we have some folks on a rooftop. we tried to launch and got in the weather there and had to land just because the weather and the winds were too significant and surpassed our capabilities of our aircraft, this is different than some of the storms in the past. >> neil: admiral, we've seen a lot of the rooftop rescues after prior disasters, hurricanes, you

name it. what do you tell people that are stuck? a lot of them seek out shelter out of harm's way or away from the water. you go to the roof. what do you tell them? >> first of all, if you get in trouble, call 911 so we know you're in trouble. call 911. we ask you don't go in attics and enclosed supposes. we can't rescue you. call 911, let the local emergency responders know you're in trouble. that information gets funneled through the coast guard. >> neil: admiral, you're always in a tough position. some people were advised to leave and didn't and now you're men and women are risking their lives to get them. i can understand some of the trepidation on people not wanting to leave their homes. any advice that you have for those that are more inland, that are preparing for the floods and very much in harm's way?

>> right. it's hard right now. we just don't know. you know, if they're at their homes right now, i don't know if their situation allows them to evacuate. the best advice is listen to local authorities and see what they're offering you right now. if they're in trouble, call 911. don't go into a location where, you know, you can't get rescued in an attic or something. our number 1 priority is to save people and prevent first responders from getting into a tough spot right now. the best advice to give them is heed the advice of local responders. >> neil: thanks very much. we appreciate it and all of your guys are doing. i want to bring you up to date on some of the latest figures from military personnel. on the national guard front alone, 7,000 national guardsmen and active duty personnel assigned to the area. jim mattis has activated what

they call duel status commanders in south carolina and north carolina and virginia. so they're preauthorized to move and move quickly at a moment's notice. so they're at the ready. so are we. meanwhile, looking live at myrtle beach, south carolina still getting hit by florence. could pick up as the day and nights continue. we're going to take to the city's mayor. when my hot water heater failed it rocked our world. we called usaa. and they greeted me as they always do. sergeant baker, how are you? they took care of everything a to z. having insurance is something everyone needs, but having usaa- now that's a privilege. your digestive system has billions of bacteria but life can throw them off balance. re-align yourself with align probiotic. and try new align gummies with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health.

>> shepard: governor roy keeper

is speaking to the media right now. let's listen in. >> roads across eastern north carolina are under water. right now our predictions show that the lumber and came fear rivers will crest significantly higher than they did with hurricane matthew. other rivers will have significant flooding as well. remember, that rivers will keep on rising for days even after the rain stops. stay alert for evacuation notices around these rivers and leave if you're told to. otherwise, stay indoors and off the roads. don't put your life or the lives of emergency responders in danger. here are updates since our last briefing.

right now we have about a half a million north carolinians without power, concentrated in onslow, craven, pender, new hanover and new brunswick counties. that number is rising as we speak. utility crews from all over the country are standing by to restore power when it's safe for them to be out. we have approximately 20,000 or so people in 157 shelters. that number fluctuates, more shelters will be set up. high winds will pick up through central north carolina today putting trees, homes and power lines at risk. we've seen storm surge as high as 10 feet on the nuese river. we're also seeing flooding along the trent river, the pamlico river at washington and pamlico

sound. rivers are rising to dangerous levels and the relentless rains will continue through the weekend. for some parts of southeastern north carolina, one forecast shows 1,000-year rain event. rescue crews are working in dangerous conditions. don't put them or yourself at risk. stay indoors. don't drive through water. never use a generator indoors. don't fly drones in a disaster area. if you do, rescue helicopters will have a difficult time operating. >> in preparation for injuries and illnesses -- >> neil: okay.

i think we have kristina partsinevelos with the latest and what is happening. it's not getting quieter. that's for sure. kristina? >> i'm the only one on myrtle beach right now. you can see the waves have picked up. there's not one moment of calm right now. we're seeing mileage, 56 miles per hour on north myrtle beach. it's just getting intense. you have ocean boulevard getting slowly covered with the water. the main strip. a lot of tourists are familiar with it. think of this storm though. a lot of people that thought, hey, i can overcome this. i forgot hugo and i lived here all my life. this storm is different. the average person walks about three miles per hour. this storm is moving at a rate close to 5 miles per hour. so it's going really, really

slowly. almost like the way i'm walking right now. moving slowly. so concerned about these mass floodings. the latest statistics is 75,000 people in south carolina are without power. on our strip here, we still have power. police officers a few of them, have told me they're expecting it to go out this evening or the next 12 hours. so because of the intense flooding, we have sandbags absolutely everywhere. i met some people yesterday at a gas station that told me that, you know, they're well-prepared. they have boarded up their homes. their neighbors know where they have. they have food, a generator. two hours ago, neil, on your show on fox business, i spoke to a woman who has nowhere to live anymore because the ceiling of her home sung in. she had to leave the property right away because the fire alarm kept going off and she

fears for an electrical fire or any type of other danger like that. so this is clearly a worst situation. we're expecting the rainfall to get beyond 24 to 48 hours. that's why officials have continued to put in place curfews. businesses have closed up shop. overall, it's definitely getting worse. this storm is just moving so slowly, neil. >> neil: thanks very much, kristina. kristina talked to a woman ea y earlier on that decided to stay. she's sorry she did. when people tell you to leave, leave. that's good advice for those maybe getting complacent further inland and think the worst is over. let's get the read on this.

right now, myrtle beach mayor brenda bethune. thanks for taking the time. >> thanks so much. >> neil: i know there were warnings put out, mayor, if you want emergency responses, you might have to wait a bit here. there's more pressing things like a hurricane. what are you dealing with right now? >> we've been very, very blessed today. our emergency response teams have been able to still get out since the winds have not been as strong as we expected. so we have kept people on the road, police and fire, as much as possible throughout today. and will continue to do so as long as it is safe for them to be out there. >> neil: now people in their homes, mayor, they want to be rescued from them or taken from them despite calls on the part of many not to stick around, what do you do in that case?

>> we will do the very best we can. if they reach out for help and the conditions outside are such that we can get out safely for our people, then we will certainly get them and get people all the help that they need. we also have to put the safety of our own public response team first. we're doing the very best we can. we're going to get out as soon as possible when the storm is over to do a damage assessment of our roads and bridges as well as the entire city to make it where we can get people back into their homes as soon as possible and their businesses and just create a safe environment for them to come back to. >> neil: mayor, what is the power situation like there? >> at the present time, looks like we have 7,500 people in myrtle beach without power. our crews are on the streets right now working as they get the report.

i don't know what the situation will be later. the storm is expected to hover over us for quite a while. so i don't know if the power situation will get worse. we're just going to take it as it comes and address each issue. >> mayor, for the foreseeable future, looks like there's going to be rain and the power situation could get worse or more could lose their power. what are you telling your residents and more to the point, are there any curfews that will be put into effect? >> yes, we have curfews. they will start at 7:00 p.m. tonight until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. we're not seeing people out and about in this. that doesn't mean there aren't some. again, we encourage them. this is not the time to be outside. you don't know when the strong gust will happen. we've heard reports of other areas where people with trees falling and other things. it's too dangerous of a

situation. it really is not worth the risk. >> neil: mayor, thanks very much. i think it's an understatement to say thank you again. brenda bethune, the myrtle beach, south carolina mayor. myrtle beach would be one of many communities in the south carolina-north carolina area that has these curfews in effect. they usually go into effect an 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next day. that's a rule of thumb throughout the communities affected by this. we're looking at a number of rescue attempts going on as we speak right now. trying to get people to shelters right now. the red cross is playing a pivotal role in this after this. rodney -- mastermind of discounts like safe driver, paperless. the list goes on. how about a discount for long lists? gold. mara, you save our customers hundreds for switching almost effortlessly. it's a gift. and jamie. -present. -together we are unstoppable.

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>> neil: hurricane florence is continuing to batter the carolinas. these are images where a tree fell on a house instantly

killing the mother and child. the father has been hospitalized. the death toll from hurricane florence is at four. the number of people without power continues to grow. more than 700,000 homes and businesses have been directly affected. 21,000 people have been taken to shelters throughout just north carolina. the storm is wreaking complete havoc on air travelers. more than 1,200 flights were added to the cancelled list today and tomorrow. that's more than 2,000 that have been slowed, stopped or redone. morehead city, north carolina is getting battered by the storm. that's where we find leland vittert. what is going on there, leland? >> it's hard to imagine this part of north carolina has been getting this for 24 hours. when we talked yesterday, the winds had picked up. this is about the strongest that's felt them so far.

it's almost unprecedented for a storm to stick around this long. that's how slow florence has been moving. we're inside morehead city off of atlantic beach. you cannot see atlantic beach behind me. in one of the lulls that these squall lines have had, we were able to venture out and get a sense of the damage that people are looking at when they come back. take a look. this is the main road of atlantic beach and parts, it's not quite a river yet but certainly a small stream. the rain obviously continuing, which means the waters will only rise. especially as the tide comes back in. this is one of the businesses that is completely destroyed here. you can see top rows of windows blown out. the roof according to the fire department has blown out. there was the front door. now any one can walk through. now it's the bigger question for some many of these businesses. after wind and water will have

destroyed so much, will the looters come. something the police are worried about here, even as this storm continues. almost impossible for the police to move and in some of these really bad squall lines here. the other issue, of course, is the rising waters. they continue to rise. the barrier islands normally protected in this part of north carolina from this storm are acting as a funnel for the rising waters. that's what pushing all of this water up to places like wilmington wind event we're seeing and hearing about the rescues. it could be another few hours until police and fire at least in this part of north carolina are able to venture out safely. they too will have to contend with the rising waters. a lot of people couldn't make it

through the waters rising in morehead city and on atlantic beach, neil. >> neil: we were talking to a coast guard official saying some of these people that need rescues in other areas, not the one you're in, they might have to wait awhile. they're dangerous conditions. how are people sitting with that? >> the conditions are pretty bad, frankly. what is interesting about this storm, the squaw lines keep coming. you think it's over based on experience in terms of how long that this storm has been going on. 18 hour, maybe time for a break. it's not happening here. the fire chief said a couple times they've tried to venture out. we've been hearing is many of these rescues happening because there's been swift water rescue

teams from as far away as new york to prestage, be above this storm and come down from the north into these areas that are most affected. in terms of being able to get crews out on the road and moving from here, very difficult. you're feeling or i'm feeling -- you're seeing the wind coming here. one of the things that makes north carolina so beautiful is the huge oak trees. we drove around, zillions of them have been uprooted and across roads and streets. doesn't matter what kind of vehicles you have. you're not getting over them. they have to be cleared as fire trucks and ems try to get there and get to anybody that needs to be rescued, neil. >> neil: leland, incredible. just incredible. thanks very much. by the way, hurricane florence is over. tropical storm florence is now. just dipping below hurricane status. as leland indicated there and you can see there, quite a threat, a massive one.

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>> neil: all right. you hear this in terms of storms or hurricanes, find shelter. there's 124 american red cross shelters up and running in just north carolina as we speak. my next guest is a volunteer oversees a shelter in chapel hill, north carolina. over 100 people, over 10 animals where there. tom joins me. tom, your a brave fellow. what are you seeing there? >> things are calm here right

now. we have constant rain and the winds are gusting. sometimes i can hear the roof rattle. but we're on the edge of the tropical storm hurricane. so we're getting probably a good amount of rain. not as many -- as much wind as other places. >> neil: i'm sorry. when did most come to your facility or to the shelter? >> they started coming wednesday night. i came here four hours after it opened wednesday night. we started off with about 30 clients. now we're up to about 115. we expect another 50 or so to come in before dinner time. >> neil: how is the power situation for you, tom? >> we're fine. the power is fine. there had been no problems. >> neil: and food and all of that? enough of everything? >> many of the restaurants and catering organizations in chapel

hill obviously are closed. so we're relying on pizzas and subway sandwiches. we -- for lunch, we had subway sandwiches and pizza for dinner. >> neil: that doesn't sound like an awful deal. any kids? i saw some young people as well? >> many kids, teenagers. the majority of our clients are children. because we have accepted quite a few families, quite a few large families. they have to be kept entertained. have some video games going and all the games for the kids. i think they're enjoying themselves. it's an adventure. >> neil: if you have any smart phones or gadgets, the teens will be set. maybe the smaller ones, the animals will be a draw. i understand you have a number of them as well. >> yes. we have about 15 dogs as i last heard. we have a family of chihuahuas.

it's a nice sight to see the whole family walking their chihuahuas. >> the family had eight chihuahuas? >> yeah. i think it's an extended family. >> neil: i can imagine what the others had to say. >> they were bigger dogs. one cat that has split up with all the rest of the dogs. >> neil: that's funny. cats have this built-in attitude, i don't know, we'll get through it. tom, amazing. i admire what you're doing to help out and so many other people. thanks, tom. a red cross volunteer. just to bring you up to date on florence now. a tropical storm, no longer a hurricane. that doesn't mean folks in the area are out of the woods here. you can see some of the damage around docks, ports, you name it. a great deal of damage.

i had an insurance estimate with me earlier said this run into potentially billions of dollars. no way of knowing. far more important, lives. four were lost, a lot of damage in wilmington, north carolina as well as florence pounds the state. the owner of cape fear wine and beer in downtown wilmington, north carolina, amika, was riding out the storms. joins me now. she refused to go. didn't think it was a good idea. maybe because she's a gutsy person, survived cancer, nearly lost a leg after a roller derby injury. so i imagine you don't fold quickly to a storm. >> well, i guess you can say i'm kind of tough. i wanted to stick around for my business, for my car. we've been in business since 2003. i want to be here in case i need to take action with calling many

island lord, calling my insurance companies, dealing with anything. my employees that have evacuated, i want them to have something to come home to. i want them to have jobs to come home to. i also own a home here. again, if anything happens, i want to be here to assess damage and make the necessary phone calls. i have three dogs. i don't have a pack of chihuahuas like tom's guests do. i have three rescue dogs. it's hard to take them down the street to the vet. so you know -- >> neil: and by the way, don't sell chihuahuas short. they might be cute and innocent but they can be monsters. i'm curious why you did this. you heard every official, mayors, governors, all saying to man or woman, you have to get out, get out of the way of this thing. you can always come back home after everything is over. you decided no.

>> neil: if i leave, go to raleigh, they're going to get a good amount of the storm. if i go to the mountains, they'll get it, too. i have some staff that went to knoxville. i have a projected forecast that the storm is going to knoxville. until you're going to the midwest or the west coast, you're not really safe from the storm. i don't want to get stuck on the other side of the state for a week or two depending on road closures and not be able to get back to my business and to my home. >> neil: makes sense. i can understand. but now the business itself. was there much damage to your home, the business? what can you tell us? >> not at all. not at all. my business partner went down there earlier today. he said the back patio is trashed. branches and some debris. but our furniture has all been chained down. it's fine. the front patio, same thing. everything was brought inside. a lot of debris and branches.

somebody did not do a very good job of boarding up their windows. one of their boards ended up on our front patio. but the glass doors and windows are very recessed back from the front of the building. we have a very large outdoor seating area out front. so the glass was not damaged. as far as inside the bar, obviously we have no power, but there's nothing wrong inside the bar, a little standing water. the roof is a little leaky. we'll call the landlord when it's time and get the mop, you know. i mean, i don't regret staying. the bar is fine which is me number 1 concern. i'm at home as i have been since yesterday after with closed the bar. i have some branches down in my yard. my pool looks like a swamp. but my house is fine. >> neil: things could be worse. so good for you. >> yeah. >> neil: hope the bar reopens

soon. i'm sure you'll have a lot of neighbors welcoming that moment. thank you very much. we'll be continuing to monitor this on fox tomorrow with special live coverage with "cavuto live" tomorrow. >> it is a hurricane no more. what's left of hurricane florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm. the nonstop rain is hammering that state, leaving the hundreds of water less rescues. let's go live to the deputy director and rep and rappaport. >> this is the 5:00 p.m. eastern update on florence. downgraded to a tropical storm, but the hazards have not been downgraded. stro w