2 dead, 20 unaccounted for in Haywood County after flash flooding

CANTON, N.C. — Two people are confirmed dead and another 20 are unaccounted for in Haywood County, North Carolina following flooding from Tropical Depression Fred Tuesday, WYFF-TV reported Thursday.

In Canton, a town located in the western North Carolina county, evacuations began Tuesday evening as the Pigeon River rose to nearly 20 feet. Evacuation shelters remain open in western North Carolina, including in both Haywood County and in Buncombe County, home to the region’s largest city, Asheville. 

Aerial photos taken in the town after daybreak Wednesday showed waters all through the streets of the small town.

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Gov. Roy Cooper and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) will tour flood-damaged areas Thursday afternoon.

Intense rain from the tropical system brought rainfall amounts over 8 inches in some of the communities of the western North Carolina mountains.

A Flash Flood Emergency had been issued for Canton and other communities along the Pigeon River. A Flash Flood Emergency is more serious than a Flash Flood Warning.

A state of emergency is now in effect.

The storm produced flooding across both North Carolin and South Carolina Tuesday.

Storm investigators from the National Weather Service toured storm damage Wednesday.

RELATED: NWS: Tornado in Iredell, Alexander counties Tuesday was an EF-1

In the counties of Iredell and Alexander, which are located north of Charlotte, North Carolina, the National Weather Service determined this tornado seen on video Tuesday was an EF-1 tornado with winds peaking at 110 mph. No one was injured in this tornado.