Tropical Storm Florence is continuing to drop torrential rain across the state as the system moves into South Carolina.
Tropical Storm Florence is continuing to drop torrential rain across the state Saturday as the system moves into South Carolina.
While clean-up has started in many areas, water rescues are still underway and hundreds of people are still in survival mode.
According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, while strong winds were the focus on Friday, “heavy rain is the story today.”
7:19 p.m.: Heavy rains have breached a Duke Energy coal ash landfill at Sutton Lake in Wilmington, the company said Saturday evening. According to Duke, 2,000 cubic yards of soil, water and ash, enough to fill two-thirds of an Olympic-sized pool, were displaced. Officials don’t believe the incident “poses a risk to public health or the environment.”
7:03 p.m.: Road conditions continue to worsen in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, and with up to 12 more inches of rain possible, the worst is not over. 7,500 people have been asked to evacuate the area by Sunday at 3 p.m. as the Cape Fear River is at risk of overflowing.
In the county, flooding has been reported at Bartons Landing and Cliffdale Rd., 1601 Purdue Dr., Cedar Creek Rd. and LA Dunham Rd., Raeford Rd. and Rim Rd. and Coldwater Rd. and Carriage Rd. Power lines and trees are down on at least 10 other roads.
6:26 p.m.: Hog farms in North Carolina have not experienced widespread impacts from Hurricane Florence, according to the N. C. Pork Council.
According to the organization, many animals have been moved off farms that could flood, and farmers have activated back-up power generation due to significant power outages. Minor wind damage has been reported.
6:18 p.m.: The City of New Bern has tweeted that all water rescues were completed Saturday.
6:02 p.m.: A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Pender County residents who live along and near the Black River, the Northeast Cape Fear River and creeks and streams. “If you had flooding along the Northeast Cape Fear River during Hurricane Floyd, you need to evacuation now,” said Tom Collins, Pender County Emergency manager. “If you had flooding during Hurricane Matthew, you need to evacuate.”
Earlier Saturday, residents of Cumberland County, the City of Fayetteville and the Town of Wade who live within one mile of the banks of the Cape Fear or Little rivers were ordered to evacuate immediately ahead of rising floodwaters. All persons within the evacuation area should leave by 3 p.m. Sunday, officials stated.
The City of Fayetteville posted on their Twitter page a link that can help people determine if they need to evacuate.
5:54 p.m.: Classes at North Carolina State are canceled Monday but will resume Tuesday. Classes at UNC-Chapel Hill will be canceled Monday. Classes at East Carolina University will resume Wednesday “with flexibility and support for students who cannot travel or return at that time due to hurricane-related issues,” according to a press release from the university.
“To allow time for students who traveled away from the Raleigh area before the storm to return to campus, the university will resume its normal class schedule beginning 8 a.m. Tuesday,” the university stated in a press release.
5:35 p.m.: Three more deaths in North Carolina have been attributed to Florence, including an 81-year-old man who hit his head while trying to evacuate Wayne County and a husband and wife who died in a stom-related house fire in Cumberland County.
5:21 p.m.: Schools will be closed in Brunswick County all next week, Sept. 17-21.
5:06 p.m.: The tropical storm warning issued for Wake County and much of the viewing area earlier this week has expired, meaning that strong winds are no longer an issue in those areas. Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston and Lee counties remain under the warning.
4:57 p.m.: A flash flood warning for Wake, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Moore, Sampson, Scotland, Wayne and Wilson counties has been extended until 10:45 p.m. as large puddles and floodwaters still remain on roads across the area.
Wilmington police have tweeted that they are aware of looting at a Family Dollar store. Video showed people running out of the store with stolen items in hand.
4:45 p.m.: The National Hurricane Center has pushed out a new update on Tropical Storm Florence. The storm continues to move slowly west at 2 mph with maximum winds of 45 mph. By 8 a.m. on Sunday, it is expected to make a right turn toward the Tennessee/North Carolina border. From there, it will eventually die off in the northern Atlantic.
4:13 p.m.: Emerald Isle has recorded a total of 20 inches of rain, according to an update for a town. Crews there are working to clear roads, restore power and repair a critical water line that provides raw water to the town. Low-lying areas along the sound remain flooded.
East Carolina University posted a gallery of photos showing damage to the campus from Hurricane Florence. A large tree was uprooted, and floodwaters were shown on roads and around the campus.
4:02 p.m.: Interstate 95 in Johnston County is closed near Exit 105 for Bagley Road.
According to a press release from the N. C. Cooperative Storm Center, the counties reporting the most outages include Brunswick, Onslow and Carteret.
3:58 p.m.: Cumberland County schools will remain closed Monday, officials announced. Moore and New Hanover counties have also canceled school on Monday.
3:36 p.m.: Gov. Cooper has urged people to avoid driving in North Carolina, especially south of U. S. Highway 65 and east of U. S. Highway 73/74. “Don’t make yourself someone who needs to be rescued,” he said. “If you must drive, don’t drive on flooded roads. Even a few inches of water can sweep a car away.”
3:24 p.m.: The popular Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier in Emerald Isle was severely damaged during Florence. “We’ll be back up and running in no time!,” posted the owners on Facebook.
On Saturday, 14 Swift Water Rescue team members from the Raleigh Fire Department headed out to help affected areas in North Carolina. On Sunday, 18 members who specialize in structural collapse rescues will leave Raleigh to help those experiencing storm damage from Hurricane Florence.
2:44 p.m.: Durham Drive, which intersects Tryon Road near Hammond Road in Raleigh, is completely flooded.
A quick look at what’s ahead for the viewing area:
2:30 p.m.: Both directions of U. S. Highway 13 are closed in Cumberland County near Eastover, just east of Interstate 95, due to a tree down in the powerlines.
“All of North Carolina is subject to flooding as the storm moves westward across the state,” the N. C. Department of Transportation said. “Beginning late this morning, flash-floods began closing down major interstates, US routes and NC routes including I-40 between I-95 and Wilmington and parts of I-95.”
2:17 p.m.: Officials in Duplin County say two people have died in floodwaters after Hurricane Florence. The new death toll for the storm is 8. A curfew will go into effect in the flooded county at 7 p.m.
1:40 p.m.: New totals show that 245 people and 77 animals have been rescued in North Carolina due to Hurricane Florence. The majority of rescues occurred in New Bern, where officials say over 100 people were rescued Friday and 69 people were rescued Saturday morning. The statewide power outage has decreased from above 800,000 to 777,937.
At a gas station on Highway 17 in New Bern, the wait for fuel was an hour long, with lines spilling out onto the highway.
1:20 p.m.: Durham and Chatham counties have been added to the long list of N. C. counties under a flash flood warning. Most of the warnings will expire by 6 p.m. Saturday.
After a brief break in the rain, another strong band is moving across the viewing area, threatening flooding from bodies of water across North Carolina.
New Hanover County has announced that public schools will be closed all next week, Sept. 17-21, due to damage to schools from Hurricane Florence.
1:13 p.m.: Residents of Cumberland County, the City of Fayetteville and the Town of Wade who live within one mile of the banks of the Cape Fear or Little rivers were ordered to evacuate immediately ahead of rising floodwaters. All persons within the evacuation area should leave by 3 p.m. Sunday, officials stated.
The evacuation area spans from the Cumberland-Harnett county line to Highway 87 in Spring Lake, Highway 401 in Linden, Highway 217 and Luke Road.
1:02 p.m.: Crabtree Creek in Raleigh has crested. The area has been known to flood year-round, often flooding the lower level of the parking deck at Crabtree Valley Mall. Crews went ahead and used caution tape and cones to block off flood prone areas on Friday in advance of the storm.
12:46 p.m.: One person had died in South Carolina as a result of Florence, bringing the storm’s death toll to six. Five people died as a result of the storm in North Carolina on Friday.
12:31 p.m.: Volunteers are in Robeson County to help people if the Lumber River crests.
Officials can’t say “stay off the roads” enough. Crews are out across the state working to restore power and assess roads, and people are endangering their own lives and the lives of emergency responders when they are out and about.
A deputy in Cumberland County was stuck after another driver lost control of their car due to weather conditions.
“Please stay off the roadways, the conditions are hazardous and it is putting the lives of first responders in danger,” Fayetteville police tweeted.
12:09 p.m.: Moore County schools will remain closed Monday due to power outages and heavy rain in the area.
12:05 p.m.: The state Department of Transportation said all lanes of I-95 from I-40 south for 16 miles remain closed.
11:59 a.m.: The tornado warning for Duplin County was canceled.
In a midday press conference, Gov. Roy Cooper said this is one of the most dangerous times due to flooding. “In some places, rainfall has been measured in feet, not inches,” said Gov. Cooper, reminding people to stay where they are until officials say it is safe to return to their homes.
11:51 a.m.: In Wilmington, New Hanover County officials stated they believe “the worst is over.” Power outages are expected to last “for some time.” Residents are asked to stay off the roads as tropical storm winds remain.
Nearby, in Wrightsville Beach, officials will begin assessing all water, sewer, roads and utilities to determine if it is safe for residents to return. “Following today’s assessment, staff can more accurately project a re-entry date and time in which residents and business owners can return,” a press release read.”
More than 150 roads were closed in Wilmington on Saturday.
11:38 a.m.: The tornado warning now includes Duplin County until 12:15 p.m.
Centuries-old trees fell across the entire state and in Raleigh as Florence passed to our south. The City of Raleigh has shared two pictures of large trees down at the Raleigh Rose Garden near Cameron Village and at Dix Park.
11:23 a.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for southeast Sampson County near Penderlea, nine miles southwest of Wallace, until 11:45 a.m. It was moving northwest at 50 mph.
11 a.m.: The latest update from the National Hurricane Center shows Tropical Storm Florence continues to weaken. The storm is moving west at 2 mph and is “almost stationary” at this point, according to Gardner. By 8 p.m., the storm will have winds of about 40 mph, and it will continue to weaken diminish overnight as it moves across South Carolina, bringing rain to western North Carolina.
“Turn around, don’t drown,” and “When in doubt, throw it out.”
During a press conference, officials cautioned people to not drive through flood waters, as this was the leading cause of death in Hurricane Matthew.
