Rivers approached record flood stage, and nearly 570,000 utility customers were without power Sunday as North Carolina struggled under the crushing fury of Florence. The mighty hurricane diminished to a tropical depression but kept pounding the region with unrelenting rain.

Florence's death toll rose to 17 Sunday. Eleven of the fatalities took place in North Carolina and the other six in South Carolina. A 3-month-old baby and two victims who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning are among those who have perished.

Florence stalled over the Carolinas and was forecast to dump up to eight more inches of rain in some areas, the National Hurricane Center said. Parts of southeastern North Carolina could see up to 40 inches before the rain ends this week. The damage isn't confined to the coast.

"Flash flooding and catastrophic/historic river flooding will continue over a significant portion of the Carolinas,'' the hurricane center warned, adding there's also an elevated risk for landslides in western North Carolina and far southwest Virginia.

Swansboro, North Carolina, was awash in 34 inches of rain by Sunday afternoon.

"This is historic in terms of the amount of rain from one storm in North Carolina," National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Oravec said.

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The storm was about 25 miles southeast of Greenville, South Carolina, by late afternoon, with its sustained winds dying down to 35 mph. It was headed north at 14 mph and expected to bring 2-5 inches of rain to portions of the Carolinas, the mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

The hurricane center said the saturation created by Florence's torrential rains will produce "life-threatening flash flooding and significant river flooding'' on parts of the Eastern Seaboard.

Officials from New Hanover County and Wilmington said Sunday that the deluge Saturday night caused severe problems, cutting roads off. The major highways into the area, Interstate 40 and U.S. 74, were not accessible.

State Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon said one of his top priorities was determining how to restore ground access to the area. "Our roads are flooded," Woody White, chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, said Sunday at a news conference. "There is no access to Wilmington."

Trogdon said the state worked with the Department of Defense and National Guard to see if they could get first responders through to Wilmington in high-water vehicles. He said officials worked on "other contingencies to support Wilmington on the ocean side."

The mayor of Swansboro, a tourist town of about 3,000 people dubbed the "friendly city by the sea," said the town broke a state record for rain. A few homes were damaged, and some businesses near the water suffered minor flooding. Winds were an issue early on.

Sections of two interstates, I-40 and I-95, were shut down because of flooding and debris. Several rivers approached record levels, and officials warned that cresting in some areas won't come until later in the week.

In New Bern, hundreds of people were rescued from their flood-swamped homes. Evidence of Hurricane Florence’s wrath was sprawled across the lawn of Patty and Philip Urick’s home on the Neuse River, all but destroyed by violent flooding.

Scores of neighbors faced similar damage after the water crested near the tops of their doorways. As water and debris accumulated, front doors caved in and garage doors ripped apart, sending water into homes and washing out what was inside.

“We figured we were safe here on the second floor,” said Philip Urick, 82. “We also surmised the storm was not going to be near as severe as it was.”

Evacuations were still underway in some places. Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin told people living within a mile of the region's main river, the Cape Fear, or the nearby Little River, that they must get out. Cape Fear River is forecast to crest in Fayetteville early Tuesday and remain in "major" flood stage into Wednesday, Oravec said. Even by week's end, the city could experience minor flooding from the river.

The heaviest rains fell on the north edge of the storm, so North Carolina got the worst of it, though South Carolina wasn't spared: Myrtle Beach was hit with more than 7 inches of rain.

South Carolina National Guardsmen and DOT workers labored in heavy rain Sunday to fill giant sandbags with dirt and place them on a 1.5-mile route on the U.S. 501 bypass bridge over the Waccamaw River near Conway. The massive project began Saturday and is set to finish Monday.

Floodwaters lapped at doorsteps of some homes in the town of Bennettsville on Sunday, where firefighters used an inflatable boat to get some residents to dry ground.

South Carolina rivers may begin cresting Monday evening into Tuesday.

Contributing: Sean Rossman; Tim Smith, the Greenville (S.C.) News; Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times; the Associated Press