Hurricane Florence smashed into the US East Coast with howling winds, torrential rains and life-threatening storm surges as emergency crews scrambled to rescue hundreds of people stranded in their homes by flood waters.

Forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding and other mayhem from the monster storm, which is only Category 1 but physically sprawling and dangerous. The port city of Wilmington woke to the sound of exploding electrical transformers with strong gusts throwing street signs and other debris as well as water in all directions.