N.C. Flood Flood Waters Continue To Rise

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Torrential rains earlier this week have left behind major flooding throughout North Carolina, prompting plans for possible evacuations in parts of the state. The piedmont region of the state received almost nine inches of rain, according to state officials, who reported almost 100 road closures April 24 in the eastern part of the state due to rising water levels and downed trees.

“This is the most sustained rain that we’ve had since [Hurricane] Matthew last year. With it coming down so hard and so fast, we are experiencing flooding,” Cooper told WPTF radio station Tuesday.

State officials expected major flooding Tuesday evening along the Neuse River near Clayton, and near Smithfield Wednesday morning. The river is expected to exceed 13 feet later today in Kinston, and break 18 feet by Sunday, The News & Observer reported.

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The biggest threat is water in the roadways, Gov. Roy Cooper said. “It only takes a little bit of water moving to sweep a car off the road. During Matthew and other storms, we lost a lot of lives” and prompted numerous rescues as a result, “because people have driven through water,” he said.

It only takes six inches of fast moving water to knock over an adult, according state emergency preparedness officials.

North Carolina Emergency Management has issued the following flood safety tips:

• Move to higher ground when a flood warning is issued or any possibility of flooding exists
• Do not walk through moving water
• Do not drive into flooded areas
• Do not ignore traffic barricades that close off flooded roadways
• Do not camp or park along streams rivers or creeks

Below is a video of flood conditions and eastern North Carolina forced one woman to abandon her car and others to evacuate their houses.

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