Raleigh North Carolina News

CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Dorian brought life-threatening conditions along the North Carolina coast, but it also uncovered one of the beach’s most captivating sights, often hidden. Rain and wind from Dorian created a 6-foot wall of sand on Hatteras Island, seen in a National Park Service photo on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook page. Viewable along the edge of the embankment is a hole in the sand several feet deep containing a…

HOUSTON, Texas — When an elementary school in Houston, Texas flooded during Tropical Storm Imelda, a teacher stepped in to help the young students stay high and dry as they made their way to lunch. Video taken by a teacher at Durham Elementary School,who chose to remain anonymous, has gone viral. That teacher said after the rain started pouring down, inches of water collected in the walkway. She and other teachers knew the children would…

HOUSTON, Texas — When an elementary school in Houston, Texas flooded during Tropical Storm Imelda, a teacher stepped in to help the young students stay high and dry as they made their way to lunch. Video taken by a teacher at Durham Elementary School,who chose to remain anonymous, has gone viral. That teacher said after the rain started pouring down, inches of water collected in the walkway. She and other teachers knew the children would…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — Water flooded an N.C. State University building Friday morning. A pipe appeared to burst in a bathroom in Brooks Hall, shooting water out and causing a sizable mess. Water was seen flowing down steps and out of the building doors. Brooks Hall is off Pullen Road just south of the university bell tower. A cleaning crew was seen assessing the damage with ABC11 cameras on hand. Brooks Hall once served as the…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — Serious flooding broke out inside a bathroom at an N.C. State University building Friday morning. A pipe appeared to burst in a bathroom in Brooks Hall, shooting water out and causing a sizable mess. Water was seen flowing down steps and out of the building doors. Brooks Hall is off Pullen Road just south of the university bell tower. A cleaning crew was seen assessing the damage with ABC11 cameras on hand….

The National Weather Service says Imelda is the seventh-wettest tropical cyclone to strike the 48 contiguous United States on record. Meteorologist Michael Marcotte of the weather service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, says Imelda is also the fourth-wettest to strike Texas on record. He cited information provided on Thursday by the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Office in College Park, Maryland. The National Weather Service on Thursday evening allowed flash flood warnings to expire for…

The National Hurricane Center reports Jerry has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Jerry now has 75 mile per hour sustained winds. The storm is still not expected to hit North Carolina. The cone of uncertainty has the storm tracking northwest until about Monday, when it turns northeast toward Bermuda. We’ve got a giant area of high pressure moving across us over the next week and that will run into this storm like a…

Hurricane Jerry formed in the Atlantic on Thursday and was closing in on the Caribbean Islands. According to the National Hurricane Center, Jerry had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving northwest at 16 mph. It is not likely that Jerry will impact the United States, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, but it’s too soon to know for sure. Jerry is the 10th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Most scatter…

First of all, will Jerry hit North Carolina? No, not yet anyway. Most people just want that question answered, but if you want to know more, read on! That’s always the big question when a storm forms in the Atlantic; Is it headed here? With this one, we still have a LOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG way to go. At this point, though, all of the models push it back out to sea. You can see from the latest…

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Tropical Storm Jerry formed in the Atlantic early Wednesday morning, but it’s too early to tell if it will impact North Carolina. Jerry is the 10th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, Jerry is far from land but is gaining intensity and forward speed on a path to approach the Leeward Islands as a hurricane on Thursday night or Friday. According to Gardner,…

What is that red stuff that’s dropped from the sky when a wildfire breaks out? It’s flame retardant that firefighting crews use to control and contain wildfires. They don’t drop it directly onto flames; rather, firefighters anticipate where the fire might spread, and they drop the retardant ahead of the flames. It doesn’t actually extinguish fires, but it does make it harder for trees and leaves to combust and buys firefighters time to clear out…

By Richard Adkins, WRAL Photojournalist Pender County, N.C. — Hurricanes, storms and even excessive high tides routinely bring flooding to eastern North Carolina. It’s an area where water is rising, and so is the population. “This is a really complicated mix,” says Dr. Gavin Smith, professor of Landscape Architecture at North Carolina State University. “What are we going to do to remedy these problems where people are continuing to move into the coastal zone and…

It’s already been a year since ABC11 was granted exclusive coverage of Atlantic Beach just days after Hurricane Florence moved through the Crystal Coast.In that time, houses have been restored and roadways have long been cleared of debris. The total cost to Atlantic Beach, a place that is roughly 5 square miles, totaled around $11 million. This time last year, Atlantic Beach had long serving Chief Adam Snyder leading the fire department. Snyder was killed…

By Cullen Browder, WRAL reporter When Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina 20 years ago, the storm caused historic flooding in the eastern part of the state. In all, 35 people died here, mostly from rising river water. But the lessons learned from that deadly storm have saved countless lives since then. “I think Hurricane Floyd was a storm that really made us realize the impact and importance of inland flooding,” says Keith Acree, spokesman for…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Florence inflicted an estimated $17 billion worth of damage – about two thirds of North Carolina’s state budget for the last fiscal year. The cost is overwhelming, and historically, the total price tag for severe weather is almost never paid back in full, or even close. Still, between private insurance and public investment, significant funds are pouring into ravaged communities and jumpstarting many families as they rebuild and restore their…

One year after Hurricane Florence slammed the North Carolina coast and nearly two years after Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc, the ripple effects are still being felt. “It’s tough times right now for NCDOT,” said North Carolina Department of Transportation Chief Operating Officer Bobby Lewis. The department is having “budget issues” because of the unplanned weather expenses. Communities were inundated with rain in both major storms. Creeks were rising. There were washouts and roads ruined. The…

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WTVD) — The City of Wilmington got hit hard during Florence. The power was out for days, businesses dealt with massive flooding and widespread damage from so many downed trees. A year of hard work and rebuilding has made a big difference. In the downtown river district, businesses are back open and are eager for customers. One area that got hit particularly hard is the UNC-Wilmington campus. The campus was closed for four…

LELAND, N.C. (WTVD) — It’s been a year since Hurricane Florence and in the Stoney Creek Plantation in Leland you can still see devastation from the storm. While many homeowners are back in their homes, the rebuilding process inside their homes continues. Tom Meyer’s is one of those residents. “It’s hard to find the money for materials at this point. I barely make it from month to month right now.” During Florence, Meyer tried to…

It has been just over a year since Hurricane Florence sat over the Crystal Coast damaging homes, buildings, and ripping apart trees. Allen Saunders said his new business, Saunders Restoration, booked only a couple jobs per week before Hurricane Florence. After the mega storm, business really picked up–to the tune of a couple hundred jobs per month. RELATED: New Bern rebuilds, but damage remains one year after Hurricane Florence We meet Saunders on a job…

By Bill Leslie, WRAL contributor Hurricane Floyd was an environmental horror story. Doug Rader, chief oceans scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, remembers “coffins floating, dead animals floating and coming up for many months after the storm.” An entire year’s worth of pollution was released in a single storm – chemicals, hog waste, human waste from septic tanks and city sewer systems. “A veritable flood of pollution, a witch’s brew of every kind of pollution…

SOUTHPORT, N.C. (WTVD) — The American flag that flew through Hurricane Dorian at Frying Pan Tower is now up for auction. The flag, deemed “Steve,” survived the hurricane and will now be used to help those who are rebuilding after the storm. Click here to bid on Steve The owner of Frying Pan Tower said 100 percent of the funds from the auction will be donated to storm victims in Ocracoke. Get your bids in…

Humberto reached hurricane strength late Sunday night and continued strengthening Monday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center’s 5 a.m. advisory showed the storm has sustained winds at 85 miles an hour and gust at 105 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane. It’s pushing away from the east coast, headed toward Bermuda. It is expected to increase to a category 2 storm. Part of the Carolina coast, from Topsail Beach all the…

Humberto reached hurricane strength late Sunday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center’s 11 p.m. advisory showed the storm has sustained winds at 75 miles an hour and is pushing away from the east coast, headed toward Bermuda. It is expected to increase to a category 2 storm, moving northeast at 3 miles an hour. Part of the Carolina coast, from Topsail Beach all the way to Myrtle Beach, will have an elevated…

MIAMI — The Latest on tropical weather in the Atlantic (all times local): 11 p.m. Forecasters say Humberto has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says in a Sunday night advisory that Hurricane Humberto is about 785 miles (1,260 kilometers) west of Bermuda and moving northeast at 3 mph (5 kph). The storm has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The hurricane center expects Humberto’s outer…

Tropical Storm Humberto continues to slowly move northward, away from the Bahamas, early Sunday morning. Wind shear that has been impacting the storm is beginning to lessen, allowing convection to become better organized. This shear will continue to be low early this week. This will cause Humberto to become a hurricane sometime later Sunday or early Monday. Humberto is forecasted to track northward through Sunday, then take a turn to the east, away from the…

MIAMI — A tropical depression near the Bahamas has strengthened into Tropical Storm Humberto. Parts of the northwestern Bahamas that were recently pummeled by Hurricane Dorian are expected to experience tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain over the weekend, but not significant storm surge. The storm could bring two to four inches of rainfall to the islands, WRAL meteorologist Peta Sheerwood said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning that the storm was located about…

By JEFF HAMPTON, The Virginian-Pilot OCRACOKE, N.C. — Celeste Brooks handed out bottles of water at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department the afternoon of Sept. 9, pitching in even after she lost everything during Hurricane Dorian. She was wearing an orange T-shirt from the Fish Hooks Café in Belhaven, given to her by a friend. Her shorts came from somebody who knows her from her job as the local postmaster. On her feet she wore…

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.. (WTVD) — Cork Oak Circle is affectionately known as Veterans Circle to those who have spent the last week working there. It’s where several veterans gave thanks to Habitat for Humanity’s Builder’s Blitz program. Peter Kelley is one of those veterans. “Thirty days, then 28 days. Tomorrow it will be 24 days. I’m counting down slowly but surely. Soon it’ll be zero days and I’ll get my keys to move in,” Kelley said….

By Elizabeth Gardner and Mike Maze, WRAL meteorologists Raleigh, N.C. — The tropical disturbance near the Bahamas is now a tropical storm. The weather system strengthened to become Tropical Storm Humberto. The Friday 11 p.m. information from the National Hurricane Center has the storm now at 40 mph, moving northwest at 6 mph. It is located 130 miles east southeast of Great Abaco Island and 225 miles east southeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. There…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — “I want to win a Stanley Cup, and I thought this was my best chance to do it.” Those were the words of new Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner following his first practice with the team today. Gardiner, a proven offensive defenseman, had plenty of options in free agency. That he chose the Hurricanes should tell you plenty. Gardiner was one of many new faces on the ice today at PNC Arena….

Tiger Woods announced Thursday his partnership with Justin Timberlake to create a relief fund for the Bahamas, which is still reeling from Hurricane Dorian. Woods and Timberlake also pledged to match the first $6 million given to help support relief efforts. Both the champion golfer and Grammy Award-winning singer will work with the Royal Bank of Canada, as well as a luxury brand and a Bahamian resort in the relief effort. “As a strong believer…

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An excavator used to clear out parts of a northern Arizona forest to help prevent wildfires struck a rock, likely sparking a blaze that forced the evacuation of two dozen homes this summer, authorities said Thursday. The excavator was working on steep slopes near Flagstaff in late July when it hit a rock, creating a heat source that stayed underground for more than half a day, the Coconino National Forest said. Warm…

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Raleigh, N.C. — The tropical disturbance near the Bahamas could develop into Tropical Storm Humberto this weekend, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. “Humberto is imminent, it appears at this point,” she said. The National Hurricane Center showed the disturbance, currently called potential tropical cyclone #9, moving northwest at 6 mph. It has a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm in the next five days. If Humberto develops, it…

The tropical system developing near the Bahamas is expected to become a named tropical storm Saturday. The National Hurricane Center officially designated the storm Potential Tropical Cyclone 9. PTC 9 had sustained winds of 30 miles per hour as of Friday morning–to become a tropical storm it must have sustained winds at or above 39 mph. The 11 a.m. update Friday keeps the storm over water and off the East Coast for the next five…

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Raleigh, N.C. — The tropical disturbance near the Bahamas could develop into Tropical Storm Humberto this weekend, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. “Humberto is imminent, it appears at this point,” she said. The National Hurricane Center showed the disturbance, currently called potential tropical cyclone #9, moving northwest at 6 mph. It has a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm in the next five days. If Humberto develops, it…

The tropical system developing near the Bahamas is expected to become a named tropical storm Saturday. The National Hurricane Center officially designated the storm Potential Tropical Cyclone 9. PTC 9 had sustained winds of 30 miles per hour as of Friday morning–to become a tropical storm it must have sustained winds at or above 39 mph. An early estimated track of PTC 9 has it heading through the Bahamas, into Florida and up the East…

By Ken Smith, WRAL anchor/reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Many college students in the Triangle are from the Bahamas and still have family and friends there. That includes a number of students at St. Augustine’s University. They said they are coping and trying to help their island nation any way they can. When Hurricane Dorian hit more than a week ago, students from the Bahamas who are at St. Augustine’s were deeply impacted. Now, they’re doing…

By Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter Burgaw, N.C. — One year ago, Hurricane Florence slammed into North Carolina and devastated parts of Pender County, including 3,000 homes that were damaged and thousands of residents were forced from their homes. For many residents, the repairs are ongoing while some families continue to search for permanent housing. At Sand Hill AME Church, members saw floodwaters intrude inside the building, and crews are still working to rebuild the sanctuary….

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 has formed and could affect the Bahamas in the coming days. If it becomes a tropical storm it will likely become Humberto. Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, soon to be Humberto, has formed in the Bahamas. There’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding potential impacts in North Carolina. In the short term, this will bring heavy rain and tropical storm force winds to the northwestern Bahamas. pic.twitter.com/gsO6NiONip — Brittany Bell (@BrittanyABC11) September…

By Kat Campbell and Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologists The chances of a tropical system in the Atlantic Ocean becoming a tropical depression in the coming days is increasing. The system could become a tropical depression in the next two days. If it develops, it would be Humberto. On Thursday at 5 p.m., a tropical storm warning was put into effect for the northwestern Bahamas, excluding Andros Island. A tropical storm watch has also been issued…

By Kat Campbell and Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologists The chances of a tropical system in the Atlantic Ocean becoming a tropical depression in the coming days is increasing. The system could become a tropical depression in the next two days. If it develops, it would be Humberto. On Thursday at 5 p.m., a tropical storm warning was put into effect for the northwestern Bahamas, excluding Andros Island. The system had winds at 30 mph and was…

A tropical depression or storm could form soon near the Bahamas in the coming days. An area of low pressure in the eastern Bahamas now has an 80 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm over the next few days. If it becomes a tropical storm it will likely become Humberto. The low in the southern Bahamas now has a 80% chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm over the next…

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — A North Carolina family is left with nothing after their home in Beaufort County went up in flames in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The power went out in the storm in their Pantego home and when it came back on, a power surge sparked the fire. The Morales’ were already in the Triangle, visiting their son at a nearby hospital and staying at the Ronald McDonald House when the fire…

By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press When the warning sounded shortly before midnight that a tornado could be approaching, the clock turned into a stopwatch for staff members working the night shift at a behavioral health center at a Sioux Falls hospital. “We had 10 minutes to wake up 102 residents, get them to the center of the building,” said David Flicek, the president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in South…

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter Wilmington, N.C. — A major roadway in New Hanover County washed out by Hurricane Florence a year ago Tuesday will soon be passable for drivers getting to and from Wilmington. State officials dedicated the Highway 421 bridge on Tuesday a year after it was washed out due to Hurricane Florence. Drivers have been using a temporary bridge since then. This new bridge is supposed to open at the end of…

CLINTON (WTVD) — Governor Roy Cooper made a stop in Clinton on Tuesday morning to commend the fire department for their efforts during Hurricane Dorian. Around noon, the governor arrived at the fire department and praised the crew for the water rescue they conducted on September 5. Clinton Fire Department (CFD) tells ABC 11 they responded to Henry Lee Lane, a rural part of Sampson County, in response to a water rescue. “We were prepared…

PEMBROKE PINES, Florida — Amid the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, a group of toddlers have ignited a moment of inspiration that is going viral. The video has already been viewed thousands of times on social media. It shows the kids embracing their 3-year-old classmate who had just endured the unimaginable. The boy, who was in the Bahamas when Dorian struck, survived the storm and made it back to Florida for his first day of…

With pictures and video of devastation and despair usually comes an empathetic heart. It’s nearly a tenet of the American fabric — helping out when others are in need. Between August 31 and Sept. 8, the American Red Cross Eastern North Carolina Region provided: More than 4,800 overnight stays in 79 Red Cross and community shelters Served more than 12,700 meals and snacks Distributed more than 4,100 comfort kits Utilized more than 225 vehicles to…