Hurricane

Climate change is already quietly costing us millions of dollars, as we try to prepare for extreme weather. In the Columbus County seat of Whiteville on Monday, Duke Energy celebrated the opening of a new electrical substation, part of $30 million in upgrades by Duke to ensure the power grid can withstand the next big hurricane.

WFAE climate reporter David Boraks hosts this one-hour special report that examines how climate change affects the Carolinas and how we're responding. We hear from scientists, farmers, policymakers and other experts, as well as from activists concerned with the inequities of climate change.

A weakened but resilient Tropical Storm Elsa drenched northern Florida and southern Georgia with heavy rain Wednesday, killing at least one person near the state line and threatening to maintain tropical storm intensity until it reaches New England.

The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Elsa is strengthening and could became a hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s northern Gulf coast. The storm has already complicated the search for survivors in the collapse of a Miami-area condominium 12 days ago.

Hurricane Elsa is expected to affect Florida early next week. Officials have begun preparations for potential impact as teams work at the condo site looking for those who remain unaccounted for.

Tropical Storm Eta made landfall for the fourth time when it hit Florida's Gulf Coast. Some areas in southern Florida could see up to 25 inches of rainfall total from this storm.

The storm slammed into southern Louisiana as a Category 2 with stronger than expected winds, but it's moving quickly over the Gulf Coast. Officials warn of powerful storm surges and high winds.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the National Hurricane Center said, urging people to take precautions against the risk of flooding. Louisiana and Alabama have declared a state of emergency.

It came ashore as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 mph. The winds quickly dropped to Category 1 level.

The storm made landfall at 1 a.m. ET with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, just 7 miles per hour short of Category 5 classification.