Donald Trump has declared North Carolina a “major disaster”, as officials warned of the potential for massive flooding from the “epic” amount of rainfall being unloaded by Hurricane Florence.

With at least five fatalities confirmed as a result of the storm, emergency workers were going door to door in parts of the the state to urge residents to flee rising floodwaters. More than two feet of water had already fallen in some places and was not expected to stop soon.

At a press conference in Raleigh, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper told residents that if they were safe they should stay put. “We know people are anxious to go back. But don’t go back until you get the official all-clear. This system is unloading an epic amount of rainfall.”

He said rivers were expected to rise in the days ahead and reminded people that most deaths following hurricanes came from people drowning in freshwater. “Do not try and drive across a river,” he said.

Mr Trump’s declaration, announced on Saturday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in relation to eight counties in the state, means additional federal funding can be used to help people in Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pender counties.

“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programmes to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” FEMA said in a statement. It said it also provided assistance to local governments for clean-up efforts following the storm, including building repairs.

Hurricane Florence: Reporter pummeled by extreme winds

Meanwhile, with Florence having been downgraded to a tropical storm, by lunchtime on Saturday it was located about 40 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, moving west at around 2 mph.

National Hurricane Centre Director Ken Graham said radar and rain gauges indicated some areas had received as much as two feet of rain, which he called “absolutely staggering”. He told the Associated Press: “And we’re not done yet.”

Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Show all 20 1 /20 Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Barmen protect their business from the storm and the opportunists Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Many supplies have run out as Hurricane Florence approaches in Nichols, South Carolina AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence seen from space on September 12 AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Students of East Carolina University's Coastal Storms class use anemometers to measure wind speeds at Union Point Park in New Bern, North Carolina AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Rescue workers are on the scene in James City, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Sixteen hours before Florence even hits land, the Neuse River bursts its banks and floods New Bern, North Carolina Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Volunteer rescue workers help three children out of their flooded home in James City, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A boardwalk is damaged in Atlantic Beach on North Carolina's coast Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Union Point Park in New Bern is closed Reuters Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A child sits in Conway High School, which is being used as an evacuation centre in South Carolina AFP/Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Locals voice their disapproval of the storm in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Volunteer rescue workers help children from their flooded home in James City Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A man floats down his street in a metal tub after the Neuse River burst its banks in New Bern, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Electric lines are affected in Wilmington, North Carolina Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Floods in New Bern, North Carolina as Florence approaches Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Waves crash over a pier on Atlantic Beach in North Carolina as Hurricane Florence approaches AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean towards the east coast of the US NASA/Reuters Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast This NOAA/RAMMB satellite image taken on September 10, 2018, shows Hurricane Florence off the US' east coast in the Atantic Ocean AFP/Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast In this NOAA satellite handout image, Hurricane Florence is shown travelling west and gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Bermuda on September 10, 2018 Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Firefighters rescue people by boat in New Bern, North Carolina Getty

Meanwhile, the AP said that in towns such as New Bern, 90 miles northwest of the coastal city of Wilmington and where several hundred people had to be rescued, emergency workers were urging people to get out before worse flooding took hold.

Officials in North Carolina’s Harnett County, about 90 miles inland, urged residents of about 1,100 homes to evacuate because the Lower Little River was rising towards record levels.

In New Bern, along the coast, aerial photos show homes completely surrounded by water, with rescuers using inflatable boats to go house to house to remove people. More than 360 people have been carried to safety since Thursday night amid rising waters from a river swelled by both rain and salty storm surge.

Charlotte and Asheville in North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia, could be in for heavy rains as Florence plods inland, the news agency said. Areas like New Bern also could see an additional three to five feet of storm surge as high tide combines with the seawater still being pushed ashore by Florence.