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Swollen Rivers Near Record Levels As Florence Lingers
Rescuers are plucking residents from flooded homes as North Carolina's swollen rivers are reaching record or near record crests from the epic rains unleashed by Florence.
Though downgraded to a tropical depression, Florence is still massive and dangerous as it covers parts of six states with North Carolina still very much in the bull's-eye. At least 17 people have been confirmed dead from the fierce storm and officials warn several North Carolina rivers could reach record or near-record crests starting later Monday.
Meanwhile, the city of Wilmington has been largely cut off from the rest of North Carolina by still-rising floodwaters from Florence. Emergency officials say they plan to airlift food and water to the beleaguered city of nearly 120,000 people.
Rivers Expected To Crest On Monday, Landslide Potential In Mountains
The national Weather Service has posted River Flood Warnings for parts of the Yadkin, Dan and New rivers.
Yadkin County Emergency Services warned residents Sunday of the potential for flooding of the Yadkin River. The agency said the river was expected to crest in Jonesville at 26-and-a-half-feet around noon Monday.
That's well above flood level.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia is warning of increased risks of landslides in the mountains of Northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. Forecasters warned that 6 to 10 inches of rain could fall as the slow-moving storm hovers over the area, with some areas getting as much as a foot.
Pollution Fears: Swollen Rivers Swamp Ash Dumps, Hog Farms
Flooded rivers from Florence's rains have begun to swamp coal ash dumps and low-lying hog farms in North Carolina, raising pollution concerns as the swollen waterways approach their crests.
Duke Energy says the weekend collapse of a coal ash landfill at the mothballed L.V. Sutton Power Station near the Cape Fear River in Wilmington is an "on-going situation." At a different power plant near Goldsboro, three old coal ash dumps have been inundated by the Neuse River.
An Associated Press photographer who flew over North Carolina's Trent River saw several flooded hog farms Sunday. Those typically have large pits of hog urine and feces, but regulators say they've no reports so far of any pollution breaches.
Road Access Cut Off To Wilmington After Florence
Authorities are looking at going by air and water to get food into Wilmington, which was cut off from road access by Florence's floodwaters.
Officials say the major highways into the Wilmington area, Interstate 40 and U.S. 74, weren't accessible Sunday.
State Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon said Sunday that one of his top priorities was determining how to restore ground access to the area.
Kitten Named Survivor Clings To Owner Amid Flood Rescue
People aren't the only ones being pulled from floodwaters in parts of eastern North Carolina inundated by Florence.
Rescuers are helping pets to safety, too, including one aptly named kitten: Survivor.
The News & Observer reports that Robert Simmons Jr. was among those seeking refuge Friday afternoon in New Bern, a city near the coast that's bordered by two rivers and has been swamped with water.
The newspaper reports Simmons climbed into a rescue boat with Survivor. Photos and video showed the tiny animal drenched, mewing and clinging to Simmons.
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