Hurricane Matthew: 'Record-Breaking Flooding' in NC, US Deaths Reach 19

OUTER BANKS, NC — Many communities from central Florida to the North Carolina shore were assessing damage — including power outages visible from space — as they worked to clear roads, return power and address other essential services Sunday, following days of battering winds, rain and floodwaters from Hurricane Matthew.

The U.S. death toll had reportedly reached 19 Sunday morning. Many communities were spared by Matthew's glancing blow, but some inland towns were unprepared for the intense rain and flooding as the large storm slowly churned along the coast. Storm surge near Savannah, Georgia, reached 8 feet, and it was 6 feet in Charleston, South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.

On Sunday, communities in eastern Virginia and North Carolina continued to struggle through "record-breaking" floodwaters, according to the National Weather Service. At 8 a.m., Matthew was 60 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras.

Swift-water rescue teams from across across the country drove in to rescue victims in communities unprepared for direct impacts from Hurricane Matthew. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, the city shared footage of a New York rescue boat saving stranded drivers stuck in rising flood waters.

At least eight deaths have been reported in North Carolina, according to ABC News. Six deaths were linked to the storm in Florida and one in South Carolina. Four deaths in Georgia were appeared due to victims driving during the dangerous storm or as trees struck structures used for shelter during the storm. Nearly 900 deaths in Haiti have been attributed to the storm.

In Cherry Grove, South Carolina, a fire spread quickly through six homes as firefighters worked against dangerous winds to get the fire under control.

“Our fire chief came and risked his own life, and other police officers and firemen came and risked their own lives, and winds were gusting at 75 mph, to make sure everyone was out of these homes," North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley told the The Sun News.

There was still damage to address in coastal communities across the region — even those hit by the storm two days ago. More than 500,000 in Florida were still without power Sunday morning, and the storm left more than 2.2 million in the dark across four states. NASA noted the power outages were evident in satellite images as the storm drove up the southeast coast.

The rise of activity in the tropics comes at the peak of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters at the hurricane center say the eight-week period that begins in mid-August and runs through mid-October is a “season within the season.” This eight-week period “is often the most active and dangerous time for tropical cyclone activity,” NOAA explained on its website.

The eight-week period is historically responsible for major spikes in tropical weather activity, NOAA said. In fact, it accounts for about 78 percent of all tropical storm days on record. It is also the period when 87 percent of the Category 1 and 2 hurricane days on record occurred. In addition, this period is responsible for “a whopping 96 percent of the major (category 3, 4 and 5) hurricane days.”

Includes reporting by Sherri Lonon | NASA satellite images of Hurricane Matthew's track across the southeast, knocking out power to four states.