One of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. mainland is lashing the Florida panhandle.

As Hurricane Florence approached the East Coast last week, one man began planning an elaborate evacuation. 

 The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles Saturday to rescue hundreds of people trapped by Florence’s shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: widespread, catastrophic flooding inland.

(AP) - The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles Saturday to rescue scores of people trapped by Florence’s shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: widespread, catastrophic flooding inland. 

Hurricane Florence fast facts: Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches North and South Carolina.

Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, according to the latest NHC advisory, but is still considered extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

A mother and her two young children have died after their car hit an alligator on Interstate 95 in South Carolina, authorities said. 

Donald Trump’s properties are indebted to a number of large financial institutions, including some that he’s repeatedly maligned on the campaign trail, according to a new report by the New York Times.

Donald Trump’s topsy-turvy presidential candidacy took another turn late Tuesday night as he added new leadership to his campaign team.