A BRAVE Fox News reporter dodged an exploding electricity transmitter in the middle of Hurricane Florence during a LIVE broadcast.

Jeff Flock was reporting on the power surges from Carolina Beach when a flash startles him.

Flock struggles to stay on his feet as he tries to explain how dangerous the storm is.

He says: “Woah, you just saw that flash of another transformer going.

“That’s the scary part. You talk about the slow, the slow forward speed of this.”

The reporter is interrupted again with a larger flash that is significantly closer.

As he fights the 90mph winds from Hurricane Florence in North Carolina he said: “We could have these conditions for a while.”
Florence was downgraded to a Tropical Storm as reported by the National Hurricane Center.

The Miami-based centre said: "Florence is now producing Tropical Storm-force wind gusts in South Carolina.

"Life-threatening storm surges to continue tonight."

Hurricane Florence claimed its first victims after a mother and infant died when a tree fell on their home in North Carolina.

Wilmington Police confirmed on Twitter.

The father has been taken to hospital with injuries.

The mother and baby are among three dead as another woman has died in Pender County, North Carolina.

Authorities confirmed she suffered a heart attack and paramedics were unable to reach her due to blocked roads.

Authorities also confirmed a person died plugging in their generator.

The eye of the storm made landfall midday UK time and has left more than 645,000 people without power in North and South Carolina, according to utility officials.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urged residents to stay in a sheltered place.

He said: "The sun rose this morning on an extremely dangerous situation and it's going to get worse.

"To those in the storm's path, if you can hear me, please stay sheltered in place."

Cooper added that the hurricane would "continue its violent grind across the state for days."

Hurricane Florence is moving at just three miles per hour, which means the dangerous conditions will be making an extended stay along the North Carolina coast.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde said: “Florence has slowed to a crawl as expected, and this will only exacerbate the flooding situation for the Carolinas from now through Sunday.

“Early next week, Florence will bring a threat of heavy rainfall and flooding farther north up the spine of the Appalachians and perhaps into the eastern Ohio Valley."

US President Donald Trump is expected to travel to the areas hit by Hurricane Florence next week.

The delay in the travel is to ensure it would not disrupt and rescue or recovery efforts, according to the White House.

The National Hurricane Center has warned of “catastrophic flooding” and a “life-threatening storm surge”.

The Miami-based centre’s latest bulletin said: “Florence is just inland and life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force wind gusts continue.

“Catastrophic freshwater flooding expected over portions of North and South Carolina.”

Forecasters have said: “It cannot be emphasised enough that the most serious hazard associated with slow-moving Florence is extremely heavy rainfall, which will cause disastrous flooding that will be spreading inland.”

Despite the storm being downgraded to a Category-1 some communities have already been submerged in more than six feet of water.

Forecasters predict as much as 18 trillion gallons of water falling on seven states over the next week.

But hardest hit by the storm - described as "catastrophic" by the National Weather Service - was the besieged town of New Bern, where dozens pleaded for emergency crews to rescue them from the dangerous deluge.

A storm surge exceeded 10 feet in New Bern, according to Accuweather.

Local officials revealed they had earlier urged residents to take shelter at the highest points of their homes, including rooftops.

"In a matter of seconds, my house was flooded up to the waist, and now it is to the chest," said Peggy Perry, who was trapped in her home. "We are stuck in the attic."

Florence's rain will reach 40 inches in some parts of the Carolina coasts, forecasters said. Gusty winds will send the ocean and rivers spilling into neighbourhoods.

The news comes as radar images have shown a half-dozen tornadoes forming in east and south east North Carolina, the National Weather Service reported.

A spokesman said: “Almost all tropical cyclones making landfall in the United States spawn at least one tornado, provided enough of the tropical cyclones circulation moves over land.”

Hurricane Florence has the potential to cost anywhere between £7.65billion ($10billion) to £45.85billion ($60billion) in economic damages.

Firefighters - who found a basketball-sized holes in the hotel wall and roof - had to force their way into flooded rooms to get to those trapped inside.

The terrified guests staying at the Triangle Motor Inn were later moved to a local hurricane safety centre to ride out the storm as parts of the ruptured hotel were sent flying through the air.

After the raging storm hit more than 70 people had to be rescued from a Jacksonville hotel when its roof started to collapse leaving "life-threatening" structural damage

The eye of the hurricane is expected to reach the southern coast on Saturday, bringing more than one metre of rain in just 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.

Local businesses and homes were boarded up in anticipation of the Category-1 storm, with one million locals evacuated.

An estimated 10 million people live in the storm's path, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center, and coastal businesses and homes were boarded up in anticipation.