Hurricane Florence: Rescues in New Bern County Craven NC



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Despite mandatory evacuation on Tuesday, Craven County emergency teams reported rescuing several residents of Hurricane Florence on Friday morning.

New Bern officials reported on Twitter that around 150 people were waiting to be rescued and that two teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were in the area. The new mayor of Bern, Dana Outlaw, said that about 200 people have been saved so far.

He can not confirm whether there are injuries or deaths at this point, Outlaw said.

"We have planned that. We knew it was going to happen and we are working very hard to keep our citizens safe. We were able to evacuate several people. some did not leave, "he said.

The bailouts began around 4 pm Thursday, Craven County spokeswoman Amber Parker said.

Parker did not know how many people the county emergency teams had saved so far, but said the emergency teams were doing their best to reach "too dangerous" areas because extreme floods, storm surges and 40 mph winds. mph.

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 that the water in the area had overcome the mailboxes and that in the low places, the first and second floors of the houses were filled.

"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."

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

New Bern is at the intersection of the rivers Neuse and Trent. 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 winds had hit 50 mph at 60 mph as various rescue teams were trying to recover people stranded in their homes, rooftops and cars. Once the storm has subsided, they will be able to assess the damage, 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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