Hurricane Nicole: at least 4 people dead, damage extent uncertain, search and rescue teams standby

 

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 1. Hurricane Nicole was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday after slamming into Florida's east coast as a Category 1 storm, but not before leaving at least four people dead and causing a path of destruction.

Two people died when they were “electrocuted by a downed power line” while driving their vehicle, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The Florida Highway Patrol said two more people were killed in a storm-related vehicle crash. Authorities said the driver of a pickup truck lost control of the vehicle on Florida's Turnpike and struck the driver of a tow truck who was standing behind his parked vehicle. Both drivers died in the crash.

Nicole is the first hurricane to hit the US in the month of November in nearly 40 years.

The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression early Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone.

The National Hurricane Center said that up to eight inches of rain could drench eastern, central and northern portions of Florida through Saturday, causing more flooding.

Flooding is also possible through the southeast US and the central Appalachians, extending northward through eastern Ohio, west-central Pennsylvania and western New York on Friday night into Saturday.
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2. Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, announced that a state of emergency would be extended to all counties in the state, as the damage extent caused by Nicole is uncertain.

Classes in 61 school districts in Florida were suspended, with 600 National Guard members and search and rescue teams placed on standby, the governor said.