For the last 11 years, the Lieblich family of Wilmington, N.C., have always held Rosh Hashanah services on both days of the holiday.

This year, for the first time ever, they did not have a minyan for the second day because of a looming catastrophic weather threat: Hurricane Florence, which is expected to make landfall and then stall along the South Carolina coast starting on Friday, bringing with it massive storm surges and between 30 and 40 inches of rain.

“There’s a sense of urgency here that I haven’t felt before,” said Rabbi Moshe Lieblich, co-director of Chabad of Wilmington with his wife, Chana. “People are scared. Some have been crying. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, people were adamant that they were going to stay in their homes, but by the second day, they had changed their mind.”

Wednesday morning found the rabbi driving around town trying to secure additional supplies, including gas and nonperishable food.... Read More: MATZAV