There were two dam breaks in North Carolina on Thursday following the arrival of Tropical Storm Debby.
Around 11:16 a.m., a dam collapsed near Siple Avenue in Cumberland County, south of Hope Mills. The road is closed from Pinewood Terrace to Galax Drive. WRAL News captured drone footage of the aftermath.
The dam collapse split the road in half, making it impassable. You can see just how extensive the damage is.
There was another dam break Thursday, this time in Harnett County. The dam breach happened in the area of Country Walk Lane and Cherry Berry Lane. The area is blocked off, and county officials said an evacuation took place earlier in the morning.
Bombay Drive in Fayetteville was completely underwater Thursday morning. Some residents were asked to evacuate Thursday.
The history of flooding on Bombay Drive dates back to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
Some residents believe the neighborhood has a poor water drainage system. It's something they want city leaders to fix.
In Robeson County, all eyes are on the Lumber River as it continues to rise. The county is already experiencing flooding on several streets.
The Lumberton Levee system has been reinforced to handle the rain, but Robeson County Emergency Management said it has rescue boats on standby if flooding reaches extreme levels.
The county has gotten more than 5 inches of rain so far, with more to come. Flash flooding has affected several highways and roads near Fayetteville, creating dangerous driving conditions Thursday morning.
Tropical Storm Debby has caused 170 lane closures or incidents on state maintained roads, many of which are in Fayetteville, the NCDOT said.
WRAL News has received reports that Rayconda Place is washed out and Festival Park is flooded.
The following roadways have been flooded or barricaded in Hope Mills:
- Portions of Hunting Ridge Road near the intersection of Rockfish Road are flooded. These areas have been coned off.
- Deaver Circle has been barricaded. Please avoid this area.
- Sommer Drive has been barricaded. Please avoid this area.
- Rockfish Road is still passable with care.
If you have to drive Thursday, please use extreme caution. Most deaths and injuries related to hurricanes happen when people attempt to drive through flooded roads.
Even a shallow amount of water can be dangerous, and strong currents can easily sweep away cars.
Dangerous NC driving conditions: Flooding, downed trees, dam breaks in Cumberland County
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to dump around 9 inches of rain in counties south of the Triangle, the same areas hit during Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence.
The biggest threat from Debby is heavy rain and flooding, according to WRAL meteorologists. Aside from the coast, areas southeast of the Triangle, like Fayetteville, could get the most rain from the tropical storm.
Cumberland County issued a State of Emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Debby's arrival.
Cumberland County has opened the following locations as emergency shelters:
- Mac Williams Middle School: 4644 Clinton Rd., Fayetteville
- Pine Forest High School: 525 Andrews Rd., Fayetteville
- Smith Recreation Center: 1520 Slater Ave., Fayetteville
- South View High School (Pet Friendly): 4184 Elk Road, Hope Mills
- Westover Recreation Center (Pet Friendly): 267 Bonanza Dr., Fayetteville
Southeastern NC known to be flood-prone during hurricane season
Slow-moving, rain-heavy storms have hit North Carolina many times, including in 2018, when Hurricane Florence dropped up to 30 inches in some areas. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian dropped up to 7 inches of rain.
The Lumber River is a flood-prone area. In 2018, the river breached Interstate 95, isolating the area and destroying homes. Communities in the area could be flooded by Wednesday night.
Matthew vs. Florence: A look at historical flooding in North Carolina
Wayne Horne, Lumberton's city manager, said lessons were learned after Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence devastated communities in the area,
"We have the on-the-job training and learning experience," Horne said. "We’ve learned a lot from the last two hurricanes."
Preparing for flooding involves coordination between the city, county and state to bring resources to local communities.
Plans include strengthening the levy that protects Lumberton from the river. In 2018, a breach of the temporary structure caused massive devastation.
"Where we saw that we had weak links ... with our substations, with our wells, with our water plant, we’ve invested quite a bit through federal and state assistance and local monies to correct those problems so we don’t have a reassurance," Horne said.
On Tuesday, WRAL News spoke with Robeson County's director of emergency management, who said crews have also been working to clean the canals to prevent flooding.
He added more personnel is in place for water rescues, and shelters will be available if residents have to evacuate.
On Monday, Gene Booth, Cumberland County's emergency services director, said the county is planning for worst-case scenarios but has not yet activated the Emergency Operations Center or opened any shelters.
Debby aftermath: 4 killed after 10 tornadoes touch down, two dams break and trees topple across NC
According to Booth, the county is ready to activate its emergency response in a moment's notice.
Residents prepare for Debby, ready to evacuate
Fayetteville resident Veronica Green said she had some work done to her property to help avoid flooding.
Another resident, Alice Redding, said the flooding gets bad in Fayetteville.
"The water goes above the stop sign," Redding said.
Clyde Hunt said he dropped everything to prepare for potential flooding from Debby.
"I actually took today off just to move all my items and get those inside the building," Hunt told WRAL News on Tuesday. "It’s hard to sleep. I’m on the edge just thinking, 'how high is the water going to get?' It’s not a good feeling."
Hunt lived through Hurricane Florence in 2018, watching from his porch as the water from the Lumber River consumed his home and turned his street into a river.
"I don’t want to lose any of my items," Hunt said. "You just have to take that extra day to prepare and plan before it gets here. If you don’t, you’ll lose everything."
Fort Liberty released all non-essential personnel in advance of Debby's arrival.
WRAL News on Monday visited a neighborhood in Gray's Creek on Penneystone Drive, which was hit hard by both Matthew and Florence when Rockfish Creek flooded homes, forcing residents to be evacuated by swift water recuse teams.
The threat of flooding from Debby has neighbors in the area concerned.
Paul White said his father's home was one of the homes destroyed in Hurricane Matthew.
"Before Matthew came, it rained about two weeks prior to the storm coming," said White. "The concern I've got is we've had about three weeks of rain and now another one's coming. It scares me."
Neighbors told WRAL News they're not taking any chances; they are packed and ready to evacuate in the event that heavy rain causes Rockfish Creek to start rising.
Sondra Maynard survived both Matthew and Florence. Now Debby is knocking at the door.
"It does put a little bit of fear, but, considering what I went through with Matthew ... I had PTSD for the first two years after Matthew, so every time it would rain I would panic and it was bad."
Maynard has cleared some of her trees so she can get a better look at Rockfish Creek. She also built a retaining wall in hopes of keeping the water out of her house.
WRAL News asked her when she would evacuate.
"If the rain starts ... if I see that deck starting to get up underwater, it's time for me to pack up and get away from the creek," she said.
People can visit FIMAN.nc.gov, North Carolina's Flooding Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, to sign up to get alerts when rivers near their home are at risk for flooding.
Helpful links:
- Connect with WRAL wherever you are
- Interactive hurricane tracker
- 2024 hurricane season: What to do when a hurricane is coming
- Hurricane survival kit: How to keep your family safe when a hurricane hits
- Hurricane-proof your NC home: Essential steps to weather the storm
- Hurricane evacuation plans and routes for the North Carolina coast
- Preparing food for hurricane season: Essential food and water strategies for emergencies
