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Despite a mandatory evacuation ordered Tuesday, Craven County emergency teams reported rescuing several residents from Hurricane Florence waters until Friday afternoon.
The county has responded to nearly 200 calls for help since the severe flooding began with 488 calls for help, county deputy head Gene Hodges said Friday. Water rescues continue, he said.
"There is always water to dump," said Hodges.
He did not say now how long the emergency would last, he said, and the county hopes the state and the federal government will bring helicopters to help with the rescue.
There were no deaths, he said.
Elsewhere in North Carolina, three deaths have been reported by Governor Cooper's office: one in Lenoir County, one who plugs a generator and two in New Hanover County. A tree fell at home, according to a press release. A woman died of a heart attack in Pender County; the teams were not able to reach her in time, according to the media.
The county has five white water rescue teams and uses boats and vehicles that can circulate in high water. The Cajun Navy, volunteers from Louisiana, helps, said Hodges.
New Bern, which lies at the intersection of the rivers Neuse and Trent, was subjected to a 24-hour curfew until further notice, city spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said. just before 7 o'clock. , she says.
Individuals and groups who want to help should meet at the New Bern Fire Department, located at 1401 Neuse Boulevard, Roberts said.
The city said on its website Friday afternoon that preliminary estimates indicate that at least 4,325 homes and 300 companies are damaged and the railways were washed away.
The bailouts began around 4 pm Thursday, Craven County spokeswoman Amber Parker said.
Parker said the emergency crews were doing their best to reach "too dangerous" areas because of extreme floods, storm surges and winds of 40 mph to 50 mi. / h.
Most of the water rescue operations were carried out in areas along the Neuse River, including parts of New Bern, Fairfield Harbor, Adams Creek and Township 7, Mr. Parker.
Local authorities saw at least 8 inches of water on the Adams Creek road before 11:00 Thursday, Parker said. Friday morning's water levels had already surpassed those of Hurricane Irene in 2011, she added. The National Hurricane Center reported more than 10 feet of flood in New Bern.
Parker said the water in the premises had overcome mailboxes and filled the first and second floors of houses located in low places.
"This storm has been hovering over us for a while and we expect it to continue to hover over us," she said. "Lots of water, a lot of wind, a lot of storm surge."
Residents asked for help during the night by phone and on social networks.
Tom Ballance, who lives about 250 feet above the Neuse River, told The Weather Channel in a 17:30 phone conversation that he was able to get to the second floor of his house "so I'm not going to die".
The water rose quickly, Ballance said. He has lived in New Bern since 2003 and has stayed in all hurricanes, he said. His neighbors also stayed, he said.
"Nobody was expecting it, nobody," Ballance told The Weather Channel. "We were fools."
Even as a little boy, when Hurricane Hazel hit in 1954, it was not that bad, he said.
"I have a business on Middle Street and, over the years, nothing has ever flooded Middle Street," Ballance said. "It's the only street. And even if I did not manage to go downtown, I listen to the police radio and it looks like the underwater water of Middle Street. So, it's a double whammy here. "
Parker noted that 839 people had sought to stay in one of the five indoor shelters in Craven County. A little over a hundred people were evacuated to a shelter in Sanford and others were directed to a mega shelter at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, she added.
"The most important thing we need right now is that people take shelter on the spot and stay out of the roads, to pay attention to dangerous conditions, including fallen power lines and floods," he said. she declared. "If the water gets into the homes, we need them to call our Emergency Management Line at 252-636-6608."
A map sent by the city of New Bern shows how widespread the floods have become. The Ferry Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation reported a 10-foot-high storm surge above the normal water level at the Cherry Branch ferry terminal in Havelock, Craven County.
"Interactive map showing the high waters of New Bern up to now. Unfortunately, it will get worse the city's account tweeted around 9 pm
The map also indicated that the Trent River had overflowed. The Neuse flows into the Strait of Pamlico, separated from the Atlantic by the outer banks.
The city said more than 17,000 customers were without electricity Thursday night. WCTI, an ABC subsidiary of New Bern, had to evacuate its building on Thursday evening, a development he noted by giving updates on the weather.
Outlaw said the winds had reached 50 mph at 60 mph, with rescue teams trying to recover people stranded in their homes, rooftops and cars.
They will begin to assess the damage once the storm has calmed down, he said.
"We will not be satisfied until the last resident is saved and in a shelter, and then we can assess the damage and leave," Outlaw said. "We are a resilient community, we work well together, we will overcome that."
Writer Brian Murphy contributed to this story.
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