Video footage shows water rushing over a failed dam in the city of Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina following the deluge of rain brought by Florence.
Video footage shows water rushing over a failed dam in North Carolina following the deluge of rain brought by Hurricane Florence.
The footage from Instagram user Rob Thompson shows a dam in the city of Boiling Spring Lakes in Brunswick County failing.
Thompson said he and his family had “just driven over” the section of road that was washed away by the floodwaters, but when they arrived back at the area on their way home they found it gone.
The video, recorded on Sunday, Sept. 16, shows the power of the water, digging deep into the dam and cutting into the banks by the railroad tracks at the foot of the dam. Three lakes drained when the dam failed, and the storm destroyed several other roads in the area.
Prior to Florence hitting the area, Boiling Spring Lakes Mayor Craig Caster ordered a number of preparations, including a citywide voluntary evacuation combined with a mandatory evacuation for people living in substandard homes and/or in low-lying, flood-prone areas.
Caster also ordered the Big Lake lowered to about one foot below the spillway, reported the State Port Pilot. That effort to avoid the dam being breached failed, though.
Florence deluged the Carolinas after hitting on Sept. 14, leaving some areas with more than 5 feet of rain.
Boiling Spring Lakes, a town of around 5,300 people about 8 miles inland from the Cape Fear River and just a few more miles from the coast, was devastated by Florence.
The sections of roadways destroyed by torrential rain and flooding left many people stranded and others trying to navigate around the city.
“You can’t get out of town. You can’t get into town. So I think the last thing I was notified about was if you leave Brunswick County, you’re not getting back in,” Boiling Spring Lakes resident Mike Maedje told WWAY.
“Crazy, crazy. We’ve been through storms but I’ve never seen it being devastated like this,” added resident Diane Griffey told WECT. “Never seen roads just flood out, break out, the dam gave. Residents that live in the back can’t even get out. It’s really just crazy. It’s overwhelming.”
At least one family was left collecting rainwater in buckets to drink because water systems had been cut off in some areas. Rescuers were working to get to people who were trapped by floodwaters, they told the broadcaster on Sept. 18.
“Most of our units are back there in the flooded out areas, inaccessible areas. We’ve got high clearance vehicles right now getting those that want to come out. And getting them to the shelters we have set up here in town South Brunswick, West Brunswick, North Brunswick,” said Lyle Johnson, deputy director of Emergency Management Services with Brunswick County.
Authorities have requested food and water for the city, as residents said they’re already running low.
“Coming up this way it blows your mind because we’re such a small little town, a little community that hopefully we’ll all pull together but it’s scary,” said Griffey. “They’re saying maybe two weeks before we even have power and electricity. Everybody’s getting low on food, gas.”
Video Credit: Rob Thompson via Storyful
From NTD.tv
