CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (WNCN) — Families along the North Carolina Coast are dealing with flooding and damage from a potential tropical cyclone .
Gov. Roy Cooper said Brunswick County was hit the hardest during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon in Southport. The governor declared a State of Emergency for eight counties in the southeastern part of the state. “We got local and state working together to respond to a storm that was very violent,” Cooper said.
NC coast rainfall totals top 20 inches in 1,000-year event; crews rescue 117 during storm
The storm dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in parts of the area. It completely washed away multiple roads and bridges. A state-operated rehab center in Southport was forced to evacuate as the threat of flooding increased, with ambulances from across North Carolina, including Harnett County, taking patients to other state-operated facilities. An 80-year-old driver from Southport was found dead in a submerged vehicle . North Carolina state troopers said the driver tried to drive around barricades in a road.