Raleigh North Carolina News

Dewey Scott was flying a drone to survey some of his family’s farm fields after Hurricane Florence this week when he saw that a small pond had spilled over into one of their sweet potato fields. Information like that will be useful when he’s able to harvest. Sweet potatoes don’t like being submerged, and Scott’s crews will skip places where water has stood for days. The problem for North Carolina’s sweet potato farmers is knowing…

It will likely be at least a week before transportation officials in the Carolinas know exactly how badly Florence has damaged roads and bridges. But based on past storms, the repairs will likely take months and cost tens of millions of dollars. As of Friday, more than 840 roads in the Carolinas were still closed, including 169 in South Carolina and 656 in North Carolina. Among them are stretches of Interstate 40. Sections of Interstate…

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — All week, volunteers have been dropping off donations at the General Aviation Terminal at Raleigh-Durham International Airport as a part of Operation Airdrop. The organization was founded last year after Hurricane Harvey to deliver relief supplies to hard-to-reach areas in need. On Friday third-graders from the Duke School took time out of their day to go to the airport to unload what they had gathered up. Much of the supplies are…

Federal officials declared emergencies in three northern states Friday as heavy rains from a tropical depression caused flooding that killed at least three people. The Interior Department initially declared a state of emergency for 11 municipalities in Sinaloa state, where the deaths were reported. Later in the day, it extended the declaration to 11 municipalities in Sonora state, which borders the U.S. state of Arizona, and two in Durango states. Government officials issued a warning…

The Carolina Hurricanes boosted their preseason record to 3-0 on Friday with a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals at PNC Arena. Valentin Zykov and Jaccob Slavin scored power-play goals and Jordan Martinook scored shorthanded for the Canes. Jordan Staal added an even-strength goal and Martin Necas a late empty-netter. Petr Mrazek started in net for Carolina and played the first two periods, facing just 10 shots before Alex Nedejkovic took over. Nicklas Backstrom had…

The Latest on the effects of Hurricane Florence (all times local): 8:15 p.m. Authorities say the death toll has now risen to 43 dead in the aftermath of former Hurricane Florence. A statement released by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said Friday evening that there are now 32 confirmed dead in that state. The statement says a 46-year-old man in Brunswick County died when a tree he was cutting feel on him. Other deaths…

Federal officials confirmed Friday that target shooters started separate wildfires outside of Reno and they’re asking for the public’s help finding a red ATV seen leaving the area where the one broke out in the Washoe Valley. Neither of the fires, which were reported within an hour of each other around noon Thursday, caused any property damage or threatened structures. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said a red side-by-side utility terrain vehicle was seen…

LUMBERTON, N.C. — Robeson County emergency officials are warning residents of an expected second crest of the Lumber River this weekend, just as some people are finally getting a chance to see the damage caused by Hurricane Florence. “It’s devastated. Ruined again,” said Tim Locklear, as he described his brother’s barber shop along West 5th Street. “Again” refers to Hurricane Matthew, which struck in October 2016, and put the shop out of commission for nearly…

Tuesday night, California chef Tim Kilcoyne took off for Onslow County to feed 800 firefighters the first hot meal they had eaten since Hurricane Florence slogged through North Carolina. The meal came courtesy of World Central Kitchen, a relief organization started by renowned chef Jose Andres that has fed millions of people in the wake of natural disasters since 2010. And for the past week, Kilcoyne has been running the Raleigh kitchen for the organization,…

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — J. Cole is helping his hometown of Fayetteville recover from Hurricane Florence’s flooding by raising money through his foundation to help families in crisis and by using his rescheduled Dreamville Festival as a benefit concert event. Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App The Dreamville Foundation is planning to help Fayetteville families by setting-up hot-food stations throughout the city, helping with temporary housing for families and…

Florence’s floodwaters breached a dam holding back a large reservoir at a Wilmington power plant Friday, and coal ash from an adjacent dump could be flowing into the nearby Cape Fear River. Duke Energy spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the utility doesn’t believe the breach at the L.V. Sutton Power Station poses a significant threat to nearby communities. Floodwaters breached several points overnight in the earthen dam at Sutton Lake, the plant’s 1,100-acre (445-hectare) reservoir. Lake…

By Lena Tillett, WRAL anchor/reporter Goldsboro, N.C. — John Street in Goldsboro used to be bustling with families. Now there’s a condemned house in almost every direction. “It’s damage on top of damage now,” longtime Goldsboro resident Staris Morgan said. For 33 years, her home here was her haven — the site of family gatherings and holiday parties. For the past two years, it’s been her nightmare. “Look, it’s just terrible,” she said. “It’s just…

Roberto Barriento Morales closed his popular Latino-foods store in Myrtle Beach for six days when he evacuated his home ahead of Hurricane Florence. He lost at least $15,000 by temporarily shutting down Tortilleria Hermanos on Socastee Boulevard, but he didn’t want to take any chances with the storm, he said. Morales said many Latino residents in Horry County, though, don’t heed emergency warnings about natural disasters. Now he’s urging those who live in flood-prone areas…