The clean up is only just beginning as the state continues to deal with the aftermath of Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 (PTC 8).
For some people, it's impossible to leave their neighborhoods, and the process of draining water from their homes is slow and difficult.
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Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and New Hanover counties Tuesday night after the areas dealt with a once-in-a-lifetime flooding event the last three days.
"This state of emergency declaration will help counties hit by severe rainfall and flooding to recover from this storm," Cooper said. "I urge North Carolinians across the state to remain cautious as many roads are still dangerous."
Wake County residents can now get emergency prescription refills
Residents in five North Carolina counties may receive emergency prescription refills now through Sept. 26 due to flooding.
This applies to TRICARE beneficiaries in Brunswick, Durham, Orange, New Hanover and Wake counties.
To receive an emergency refill of prescription medications, TRICARE beneficiaries can take their prescription bottle to any pharmacy in the TRICARE network. To find a network pharmacy, beneficiaries may call Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303, or search the network pharmacy locator.
If the bottle is unavailable or the label is damaged or missing, beneficiaries should contact Express Scripts, Inc., or their retail network pharmacy for assistance.
If possible, visit the pharmacy where the prescription was filled. If the clinician who prescribed your medication is available, you can ask them to call in a new prescription to any network pharmacy.
PTC 8 prompts more than 100 water rescues in coastal communities
More than 120 people and nearly 20 animals had to be rescued from floods in New Hanover County, WECT reported.
Leland Fire/Rescue said on Facebook that dozens of people had to be evacuated from neighborhoods where flood levels reached 6-8 feet.
Monday – when the storm was at its worst – was a WRAL Weather Alert Day; PTC 8 brought heavy rain, strong winds and the risk of tornadoes, flooding and power outages to North Carolina. Southeastern North Carolina was hit the hardest, especially the coastal communities that make up much of the area.
The most significant impacts from PTC 8 were felt during the second half of Monday – particularly along the coast. Carolina Beach got more than 20 inches of rain, which resulted in life-threatening flooding. It's being called an extremely rare 1,000-year flood.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect along the North Carolina coast Monday and there were also several tornado warnings. Flood watches and flash flood warnings were also issued for several counties Monday through Tuesday. Those have expired and the waters are receding, but you'll still want to watch out for flooded roads and standing water.
A final recording on Tuesday afternoon showed Carolina Beach had seen 20.81 inches of rain since Sunday. Elsewhere in Brunswick County, Southport (19.13 inches) and St. James (18.65) also were hit hard. Standing water was seen along some main roads, including Lake Park Boulevard.
Flooding, washouts make roads impassable across NC
We're continuing to see road closures across the state as rain and flooding continues to impact North Carolina.
Here is a list of current road closures in North Carolina:
Durham County: St. Mary's Road is closed between Bivens Road and U.S. Highway 501 until 8:29 p.m. Wednesday.
Johnston County: SR 1504 Crantock is closed from N.C. Highway 210 to SR 1506 Freedom Road due to flooding.
Harnett County:
- Ebenezer Church Road is closed near Dixon Road until 3:30 p.m. Thursday due to high water.
- Detour: N.C. Highway 27 to SR 1554 Dixon Road to Ebenezer Church Road
Cumberland County: Ramsey Street is closed between Drake Street and Wall Street until midnight Wednesday.
Sampson County: Carry Bridge Road is closed – between mile markers 4.9 and 5 (eastbound) – until 3:30 p.m. Friday due to high water.
Helpful links: Sign up for WRAL weather alerts | Live DUALDoppler5000 | Wind speeds and wind gusts | Live cams across NC | WRAL interactive hurricane tracker
N.C. Highway 12 at Ocracoke Island was closed Tuesday.
"We're bringing in crews from our other five counties to converge into Brunswick County," said Battle Whitley with NC DOT. "We're assessing as we go. We're trying to get to locations and barricade them so people won't drive through high water and things like that."
The NC DOT reported at least five crashes on Interstate 40 Tuesday morning. Three crashes happened in less than 30 minutes along a 9-mile stretch of the interstate in Durham County.
Severe flooding from this storm left several people stranded on U.S. Highway 17 in Brunswick County Monday afternoon.
Major flooding in Brunswick County prompted a curfew for its unincorporated areas until Tuesday morning.
Mother Nature wreaked havoc on coastal roadways, including the old Ocean Highway in Brunswick County.
What took just 24 hours to destroy will take crews much longer to repair.
"You couldn’t pass through this road, the water was rushing over it like rapids." Angela Holbrooks, Brunswick County resident said.
Floodwaters blocked access to the road near Angela Holbrooks' home, even causing a truck to plunge into a gap.
"There’s really nothing you can do until the water recedes," Holbrooks said.
The flooding forced commuters to find alternate routes as major highways were shut down, and submerged neighborhood roads left residents stranded for hours.
"We need higher roads, evacuation plans and better infrastructure to take care of citizens here, so we’re not left without food or power again," one resident said.
Southport also experienced road washouts Monday, with major roads rendered impassable due to the storm’s impacts.
In a Facebook post, Southport Police Department wrote:
"Please stay off the road if at all possible – major road washouts – this is river rd between the tiger mart and 50 lakes drive – dangerous conditions – impassable conditions on river rd."
Please remember that it's not safe to try and drive through flooded roads; take an alternate route instead.
You can tune into WRAL News+ or 101.5FM in the Triangle for traffic updates.
Downed trees crush homes in Raleigh, Fayetteville
A massive tree fell on top of a Raleigh home near Oberlin Village Monday night.
"I was about to sit on my bed where the tree actually hit on the ceiling," Adam McLaine, a resident of the home, said.
McLaine said the crashing and wood cracking felt like the entire house got hit.
A Fayetteville resident also had a massive tree fall on her house Monday.
This happened on Broadfoot Avenue in the Haymount neighborhood. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
"Part of the roof is gone, and it's fallen all the way onto the front porch," said homeowner Sharon Moyer.
Downed trees leave thousands without power in NC Monday, Tuesday
On Monday afternoon, winds reached speeds up to 30 mph, saturating the ground and bringing down trees. There were thousands of power outages in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday just before 2 a.m., WRAL News received reports of a downed tree on Whitman Road in Raleigh.
WRAL News received several reports of downed trees across the Triangle Tuesday morning.
Wade Avenue was closed between Dixie Trail and Faircloth Street in Raleigh after a tree took down the power lines – snapping a power pole in half and leaving many residents without power. Duke Energy said power should be back on by 4 p.m.
Flooding poses biggest threat, emergency crews on standby
Flooding is often the most dangerous part of a storm.
"Water is one of the most powerful forces on Earth. Even a small amount of rain or floodwater on a roadway can be devastating," said Darshan Patel, operations manager for Wake County Emergency Management.
Patel said, with the ground already saturated from this week’s rain, flooding could easily occur in low-lying areas.
"We’re working closely with our partners to assess potential public safety concerns. If risks are identified, we’re ready to take proactive measures," he said.
Crews are also monitoring road conditions and power lines.
"It’s a constant challenge with Mother Nature," said Jeff Brooks, Duke Energy spokesperson. "Soggy ground makes it even harder to prevent outages caused by falling trees, but we’re doing everything we can to minimize disruptions."
Duke Energy is keeping its current teams on standby and is prepared to deploy them to critical areas if needed. Although summer is winding down, the peak of tropical storm season is just beginning.
"This system developed quickly off the coast and will bring nasty weather over the next few days," Brooks said. "We might see more storms like this soon."
For local safety updates, residents are encouraged to use ReadyWake, a mobile resource that provides notifications about potential hazards in their area.
Information on road closures is also available on DriveNC, which has added a "Potential tropical cyclone" tab on their website. Users can toggle on and off to see specific impacts from this storm on the roads.
Governor Cooper urges caution
Governor Roy Cooper posted on X, urging residents to stay safe.
"Significant flooding is impacting Southeast NC as heavy rain continues," he said. "We're in contact with local officials, and @NCEmergency is assisting coastal communities in their storm response.
"Stay safe and follow guidance from local emergency officials."