- Eric Tulsky comfortable, confident and going for the Stanley Cup in 2nd year as Hurricanes GM
- 5 homes collapse into the surf of the Outer Banks as hurricanes rumble in Atlantic
- As hurricanes pass offshore, more Buxton homes collapse into the sea
- Central Texas floods reveal need to shore up disaster response in unincorporated areas
- Latest: Tropical Storm Imelda will pull away from East Coast, expected to become a hurricane
Persistent rain and flooding on Raleigh roads sparks infrastructure concerns
With the constant heavy rain and downpours over the past few weeks, flash flooding has become a recurring problem for people in the area.
On Thursday, WRAL News was on the scene of Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh, where multiple drivers were seen attempting to push through flood waters during nighttime showers and storms.
Preston Ross is the founder of a Raleigh nonprofit and told WRAL News that trash and debris on top of heavy rain are contributing to the problem.
“Some of it is going to block up the storm drain,” Ross said. “Meaning it’s going to Flood Avent Ferry. Some of it is going to get into the storm drain, which means it might end up in Marsh Creek or Little Branch Creek or Walnut Creek or something like that.”
Officials with the Department of Transportation said the recent rain has also overwhelmed the drainage system.
“Flooding like we have seen this summer occurs because few, if any, infrastructure can handle such extreme rainfall rates in a short period of time,” NC Department of Transportation spokesperson Kim Deaner said in part. “This is why flash flooding remains such a dangerous hazard.”
Ross said when flash flooding happens, it takes the trash and debris with it. And due to the recent bouts of severe weather, the clean-ups have increased significantly.
“We normally would probably come over for maintenance of our trash traps and clean it out of the creek maybe once a week,” Ross said. “This is our second time here this week … and we have two full bags of trash out of the trap, and there is so much more around the bank that we did not have enough time to get it all.”
WRAL News has reached out to the DOT on the last time the Avent Ferry culverts were inspected to see how much of a role they are playing in the recent flash flooding.
As for Ross, he encourages everyone to do their part and pick up after themselves so that trash doesn’t make the flash flooding worse. People can sign up online to volunteer with The Great Raleigh Cleanup.