ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: The White House says President Trump will visit areas affected by Hurricane Florence next week. Since the storm hit North Carolina's coast this morning, four people have died. That number is expected to climb. Florence continues to drench the eastern part of the state even as it heads into South Carolina. Evacuation orders went out days ago along the coast, and yet many people chose to stay in their homes.</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: One of them is Marilyn Cullison. She lives in coastal Swansboro, N.C. But her house is 24 feet above sea level. She thought she'd be out of the water's reach. And yet...</s>MARILYN CULLISON: It's about high tide, and I'm watching waves break over the sea wall and into my yard where I don't have a sea wall. This is not a normal thing that I see. I don't usually see waves breaking in my yard.</s>ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Levi Alligood also chose to wait out the storm. He lives in Blounts Creek, where a storm surge forced water up the river. Alligood went out earlier today to assess the damage and broadcast it on Facebook Live.</s>LEVI ALLIGOOD: It's bad. It's real bad. It's bellybutton-deep. I think I just saw a alligator. Y'all stay safe. I'm praying for the best for all of you.</s>ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: We called Alligood once he got back on dry land to ask why he ventured out.</s>LEVI ALLIGOOD: This is my third hurricane living here without power. The storm surge has just been crazy. I've never seen anything like this. And we might not ever see it again. So I'm going to document it. It was just something I wanted to have on record.
NPR's Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro check in with residents of North Carolina who stayed behind during Hurricane Florence despite evacuation warnings.