L'ouragan Matthew, maintenant rétrogradé au rang de cyclone post-tropical, a provoqué, dimanche, d'importantes inondations en Caroline du Nord, alors que le bilan des morts en sol américain s'élevait à au moins 17.
Près de la moitié des décès sont survenus en Caroline du Nord. Le gouverneur de l'État Pat McCrory a dit craindre que la région soit en proie à une "destruction majeure".
Les autorités commencent, à la lumière du jour, à prendre conscience des dégâts laissés par le passage de Matthew, la veille.
Plus de 880 personnes ont été sauvées des eaux par la police en Caroline du Nord, a indiqué M. McCrory, dont 600 dans les environs de Fayetteville. Quatre personnes sont portées disparues dans cette localité où le niveau de l'eau a rapidement grimpé, a ajouté le gouverneur.
La ville portuaire de Wilmington a reçu plus de 45 centimètres de pluie. Il en est tombé 36 centimètres à Fayetteville et 20 centimètres à Raleigh.
La plupart des victimes ont perdu la vie à bord de voitures emportées par le courant.
Selon les prévisions, les pluies diluviennes devraient dangereusement continuer de déferler sur la Caroline du Nord, mais également sur la Virginie jusqu'à la nuit de lundi.
Matthew devrait ensuite se diriger vers l'océan Atlantique pour ensuite se démembrer.
C'est en Haïti où l'ouragan a été le plus dévastateur, faisant plusieurs centaines morts, et détruisant de nombreux immeubles et infrastructures.
Aux États-Unis, la firme d'assurances de propriétés CoreLogic a estimé, plus tôt dimanche, que Matthew aura causé des dégâts matériels évalués entre 4 et 6 milliards $.
INOLTRE SU HUFFPOST
L'ouragan Matthew
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People walk in a flooded area after Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares (credit:Andres Martinez Casares / Reuters)
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A man carrying branches from fallen trees walks next to the Cathedral after Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (credit:Andres Martinez Casares / Reuters)
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People walk in a flooded area after Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares (credit:Andres Martinez Casares / Reuters)
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View of one of the rooms at the Immaculate Conception Hospital after Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares (credit:Andres Martinez Casares / Reuters)
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People walk along a beach in the wind in advance of Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
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A man carries tanks filled with gas while other people line up to fill their cars with gas in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew, in Coral Springs, Florida, U.S. October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Henry Romero (credit:Henry Romero / Reuters)
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A worker puts up plywood in preparation for Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
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A worker puts up plywood in preparation for Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
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Cars drive though a flooded street due to early rains associated with Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
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Empty airport gates are pictured at Lynden Pindling International Airport after airlines had removed all their airplanes in preperation for Hurricane Matthew in Nassau, Bahamas October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
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A man talks on his cell while searching for belongings amid the rubble of his home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman cries amid the rubble of her home, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People wade through a street flooded by a nearby river overflowing from the heavy rains caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Leogane, Haiti, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Rescue workers in Haiti struggled to reach cutoff towns and learn the full extent of the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew as the storm began battering the Bahamas on Wednesday and triggered large-scale evacuations along the U.S. East Coast. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Two men push a motorbike through a street flooded by a nearby river that overflowed from heavy rains caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Leogane, Haiti, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Rescue workers in Haiti struggled to reach cutoff towns and learn the full extent of the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew as the storm began battering the Bahamas on Wednesday and triggered large-scale evacuations along the U.S. East Coast. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Red Cross workers and residents walk among the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, and leaving hundreds of others damaged.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A group of nuns survey the damage to their home caused by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, and leaving hundreds of others damaged.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A man takes pictures of the wreckage cause by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, and leaving hundreds of others damaged.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People sit amid the remains of homes destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman searches amid the rubble of her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman cries amid the rubble of her home, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People carry some of their belongings through the rubble of a street after the passing of Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The hurricane rolled across the sparsely populated tip of Cuba overnight, destroying dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, leaving hundreds of others damaged. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The high winds of Hurricane Matthew roar over Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore in Haiti, unloading heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman carries a child through a waterlogged street as they head to a shelter under the pouring rain triggered by Hurricane Matthew in Leogane, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A resident runs in as flooded street as Hurricane Matthew roars over Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore around dawn in Haiti. It unloaded heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The high winds and rain of Hurricane Matthew roar over the waterfront of Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore around dawn in Haiti. It unloaded heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The high winds and rain of Hurricane Matthew roar over Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore around dawn in Haiti. It unloaded heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Surf and wind from Hurricane Matthew crash on the waterfront in Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore around dawn in Haiti. It unloaded heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The high winds of Hurricane Matthew roar over Baracoa, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. The dangerous Category 4 storm blew ashore around dawn in Haiti. It unloaded heavy rain as it swirled on toward a lightly populated part of Cuba and the Bahamas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A structure lays on the ground, brought down by the winds of Hurricane Matthew in Leogane, Haiti. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A man rides a bicycle past a tree uprooted by the winds of Hurricane Matthew in Leogane, Haiti. Tuesday Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds Tuesday, tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A house with its roof torn off by the winds caused by Hurricane Matthew stands in Leogane, Haiti. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People watch from the other side of the La Digue river as water roars past the destroyed Petit Goave bridge, as Hurricane Matthew passes over, in Petit Goave, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds destroying the bridge and cutting off road communication with the worst hit areas. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A vehicles sits next to a house, stranded in the flood waters caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Leogane, Haiti. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti's southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People try to cross the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.Weakened but still dangerous, Hurricane Matthew churned toward the Bahamas October 5, 2016 en route to an already jittery Florida after killing at least nine people in the Caribbean in a maelstrom of wind, mud and water.As it girded for its share of the region's worst storm in nearly a decade -- perhaps a direct hit as early as Thursday -- the Bahamas closed its main international airport and Nassau's port. Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:HECTOR RETAMAL via Getty Images)
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A man tries crosses the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane Port-au-Prince, on October 5, 2016.Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:HECTOR RETAMAL via Getty Images)
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Homes stand in the flood waters following the overflowing of the La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:HECTOR RETAMAL via Getty Images)