Flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew has displaced several thousand people in North Carolina, and authorities were helping more evacuate on Tuesday as swollen rivers threatened a wide swath of the state.
Governor Pat McCrory warned of "extremely dangerous" conditions in the coming days in central and eastern North Carolina, where several rivers were at record or near-record levels after a storm blamed for 14 deaths in the state.
Matthew, the most powerful Atlantic storm since 2007, killed at least 1,000 people in Haiti last week before barreling up the US southeastern coast and killing more than 20 people in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
An additional US death occurred on Monday night in Lumberton, North Carolina, where officials said a highway patrol officer fatally shot a man who became hostile and flashed a handgun during search-and-rescue efforts in fast-running floodwater.
Nearly 4,000 people have taken refuge in North Carolina shelters, including about 1,200 people in the hard-hit Lumberton area, where the Lumber River had crested at almost 4 feet (1.2 meters) above the prior record set in 2004 after Hurricane Frances.
Water blanketed the city of 21,000 people, leaving businesses flooded, homes with water up to their roof lines and drivers stranded after a stretch of Interstate-95 became impassable.
"We lost everything," said Sarah McCallum, 62, who was staying a shelter set up in an agricultural center after floodwaters drove her from her home of 20 years.
State officials are particularly concerned about victims like McCallum, who have no flood insurance because they do not live in areas typically prone to such inundation.
President Barack Obama on Monday signed a disaster declaration for North Carolina, which will make federal funding available to people inthe hardest-hit areas.
Obama approved a similar declaration on Tuesday for South Carolina, where Matthew made landfall on Saturday. State officials are now urging residents to prepare for potential flooding from the Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee rivers.
Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti must stay for another six months to help the Caribbean nation cope with the humanitarian crisis from Hurricane Matthew, the UN envoy said Tuesday.
Sandra Honore told the Security Council ahead of a vote on renewing the mission's mandate that damage from the hurricane was extensive, potentially affecting Haiti's stability.
"There can be no doubt: this is a humanitarian tragedy and an acute emergency situation with 1.4 million persons in need of immediate assistance," Honore said.
A presidential election scheduled for 9 October was postponed as well as partial senatorial votes and legislative reruns as Haiti struggles to recover.
"The impact of Hurricane Matthew on the political process and on the stability in the country can only serve to reconfirm the recommendation of the secretary-general for a six-month extension," said Honore.
The council is to vote on Thursday on extending the MINUSTAH mission until April next year.
Council members however said plans for a drawdown of the force, which currently stands at 6,000, must not remain on hold for too long.
A strategic review is to be completed over the coming six months on a full pull-out of the mission, which could be replaced by a smaller UN presence.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that a massive international response was needed to help Haiti as the United Nations launched a $120m flash appeal for the next three months.
Hurricane Matthew killed at least 473 people in Haiti, according to a provisional count from authorities, with more feared dead as rescuers reach the hardest-hit areas.
The envoy said the health impact of the disaster cannot be overestimated, with water and sanitation infrastructure severely damaged, causing a high level of diseases including cholera.
Matthew crashed ashore on Haiti's southern coast on October 4 as a monster Category 4 storm, packing winds of 145 miles (230km) per hour.
