Raleigh North Carolina News

The Latest on Tropical Depression Florence (all times local): 3:20 p.m. Virginia officials say a tornado touched down and damaged three properties in the southern part of the state near the border with North Carolina. Virginia Department of Emergency Management State Coordinator Jeff Stern said the tornado touched down in Mecklenburg County on Monday. Stern said there were no reports of injuries, and two homes and a trailer were damaged. Much of the western part…

Both the Wake County, Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school systems announced that schools will reopen Tuesday after having been closed for three days due to Hurricane Florence. Durham school officials announced that schools will open Tuesday on a two-hour delay “to ensure that our facilities are prepared and roads are safe following today’s rainfall.” Durham reopened Monday, but issued an apology to parents when conditions worsened on the roads more than they anticipated. Schools will…

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a Pollocksville, N.C., man Monday, plucking him and his small dog from atop a stranded van in Florence’s flood waters, according to photos taken by The Associated Press. Willie Schubert of Pollocksville was shirtless and cradling his dog when the helicopter crew lifted him onto a roof and then into the helicopter, a series of photographs by AP photographer Steve Helber show. The dog’s name: Lucky. U.S. Coast…

Raleigh, N.C. — Map: Videos, images | Shelters, roads by county | Images: Florence’s impact Get help, give help | NC’s worst hurricanes | River flooding forecast Hurricane Florence caused a record amount of rainfall in North Carolina and has created the highest rainfall total for any tropical system to ever strike the East Coast of the United States, according to CNN. The highest totals so far were measured in from Swansboro, which saw more…

CHARLOTTE, North Caroina — A rail company says it’s investigating whether heavy rains from Florence contributed to a train derailment in North Carolina. CSX said in a news release that the derailment happened Sunday night in Anson County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Charlotte. The railroad company said nine locomotives and five railcars ran off the track. The company said none of the cars was carrying hazardous materials. But some of the locomotives…

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — Duke Energy’s Brunswick nuclear plant is in a state of emergency after being cut off by floodwaters from Hurricane Florence. Our newsgathering partners at The News & Observer report the 1,200-acre complex is inaccessible to outside personnel after declaring an “unusual event,” the lowest level of nuclear emergency. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Joey Ledford said the plant is stable and poses no threat to public safety. The floodwaters have not entered…

Seven-months-pregnant Emy Chamberlain and her fiance Brenden Wellings were getting ready for the arrival of their first child — a baby girl. But now they’re shifting gears as the water in the Waccamaw River rises from the impacts of Hurricane Florence near their Conway-area home. The young couple moved their new baby supplies to the highest part of their Waccamaw Drive home on stilts, just off U.S. 501. The two, who live with Chamberlain’s mother…

Coast Guard rescue swimmer investigates truck in dangerous flooding Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jordon Shevlin, a rescue swimmer from Air Station Atlantic City, NJ., gets battered and buffeted to investigate a truck caught in dangerous flooding in the wake of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 16, 2018.

The North Carolina football team will offer its 18-wheel equipment truck to take non-perishable food items and supplies across the state to victims of Hurricane Florence, UNC football coach Larry Fedora said Monday. The university will be accepting donations from the public Tuesday through Friday. On Friday, the truck will deliver the supplies and food to those in need. “We’re willing to do anything that we can to help anybody in the state right now,”…

One last round of drenching rain from Tropical Storm Florence made driving hazardous Monday and forced some local residents to flee rising floodwaters. The morning commute was slow-going for many who found themselves driving through deep water and, in some cases, coming to a complete stop. Videos posted to social media showed water covering heavily traveled roads, including Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and Duke Street in Durham. Many roads in Orange and Durham counties…

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — North Carolina officials are making it easy for storm victims to check out contractors before they hire them to clean up or to repair damage from Hurricane Florence. The state licensing board for contractors now has a free mobile app called “NCLBGC Search” that lets anyone search their database of contractors by name, address, license number, or county. “We are very aware that there are going to be numerous folks flooding…

Florence has produced a lot of news. Here are some things to know Monday: 1. Tornadoes continue to be an elevated risk in our area. Two tornadoes were confirmed in central North Carolina in Wayne and Wilson counties Monday morning. 2. Though flooding continues as a dangerous threat, the Triangle should start to dry out after days of wet weather. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, “Our rainfall potential is really starting to go down….

Eastern North Carolina was hit especially hard during Hurricane Florence. In New Bern, many areas are still completely flooded, leaving people without basic necessities. Beginning Sept. 20 at 1 p.m., a “Fill The Truck” Florence Relief Effort will begin to assist New Bern residents.If you want to donate, visit the Walmart on 4500 Fayetteville Road in Garner.They will be collecting the following items: New or gently used clothing and shoes of all sizes Toiletries (especially…

Florence has left the Carolinas but she left a trail of misery in her wake, with several people dead, flooded buildings and destroyed property. Headlines: At least 23 people in the Carolinas have been killed in the storm, including 17 in North Carolina and six in South Carolina, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office and the Associated Press. Two tornadoes were confirmed Monday morning in central North Carolina in Wayne and Wilson counties. A large…

Pender County, N.C. — Video shows rescue crews airlifting an elderly woman from her home, which was surrounded by floodwater in the wake of Hurricane Florence. Petty Officer 1st Class Steve Maccaferri, a rescue swimmer from Coast Guard, along with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew, rescued the woman from her home in Pender County, North Carolina on Sunday. The woman ran out of medication and was unable to nourish herself properly, according to the U.S….