Hurricane Florence made landfall early on Friday morning as a Category 1 storm.
At least 169,411 have lost power in North Carolina, and by Thursday night, 12,000 were in shelters.
Another 150 people in New Bern, North Carolina, awaited rescue after they were trapped by flooding.
In South Carolina, winds climbed to 100mph, with offshore waves reaching 30 feet.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper noted that the dealing with the hurricane would require "endurance, teamwork, common sense, and patience."
"The first bands of the storm are upon us but we have days more to go," he added.