Sept. 23 (UPI) — Local officials in the Carolinas warned that flooding remains a threat in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged people to avoid flooded roadways and warned conditions remain dangerous even though the storm, which has already been blamed for at least 43 deaths in the Carolinas and Virginia, has subsided. Thirty-two of those deaths occurred in North Carolina.
“You’ve heard us say it before but I can’t say it too many times: Stay off flooded roads, and don’t drive around barricades,” Cooper said Saturday. “The road you plan to drive on may be closed, and the road behind the barricade may not exist anymore underneath the flood water.”
North Carolina’s Penderlea Fire Department shared photos of thousands of dead fish scattered along Interstate 40 after floodwaters receded.
“Hurricane Florence caused massive flooding in our area and allowed the fish to travel far from their natural habitat, stranding them on the interstate when waters receded,” the fire department said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster requested about $1.2 billion in aid from the federal government as waters at least one of the state’s rivers were expected to continue rising through Tuesday, The Post and Courier reported.
State emergency officials said about 30,000 people in South Carolina’s Pee Dee could be impacted by floodwaters.
The S.C. Department of Transportation also reported that flooding had closed at least 148 bridges and roads in the region as of Saturday afternoon.
Power outages also persisted Sunday as 14,820 people remained without power in North Carolina and 926 were without power in South Carolina, according to poweroutage.us
