Raleigh North Carolina News

KENTUCKY — At least 15 people are dead following flooding in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN. That number is expected to double, he said, and will include children. Swollen floodwaters washed out bridges, wiped out power and sent some residents scrambling to their rooftops as water gushed into their homes. Some families’ houses and cars were submerged or swept away completely by the flooding, which has been exacerbated by creeks and grounds already soaked…

By Chris Boyette and Robert Shackelford, CNN Breathitt County, Ky. — (CNN) — Heavy rainfall inundated eastern Kentucky overnight, prompting a flash flood emergency and making local roads impassable, officials said. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for parts of Breathitt, Knott, Owsley and Perry counties until 7:45 a.m. Thursday. “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!” the weather service warned. Up to 6 inches of rain fell in…

Raleigh, N.C. — The Canes Crew, the energetic team that cheers on the Carolina Hurricanes every year, is holding auditions on Wednesday, Aug. 3. This co-ed team can be found at all home games entertaining the crowd with flags, signs and chants. They also appear at watch parties, team events and other community events. Think you have what it takes to join the team? The first night of auditions is Aug. 3 at 6 p.m….

By MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen, from the largest wildfire in a typically mainly fireproof southwest region to a pair of blazes that ripped through forests and produced smoke that blew hundreds of miles to the the Bering Sea community of Nome, where the normally crystal clear air was pushed into the extremely unhealthy category. Already more than 530 wildfires have burned…

By Daniel Victor, Isabella Kwai, Euan Ward and Aurelien Breeden, New York Times Most of Europe slid back into more typical summer temperatures Wednesday morning, but the aftermath continued from the record-setting heat wave that threatened lives, destroyed buildings and upended daily routines for much of the continent this week. Here’s what we are still watching. Fires are still raging in southern Europe. Summer wildfires are a recurring feature in parts of Europe, but the…

By Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter Goldsboro, N.C. — This week, North Carolina House leaders formed a committee to investigate problems in getting assistance to hurricane victims dating back as far as six years. WRAL Investigates has been following the money and the delays through the nightmare of a Goldsboro woman who’s still waiting. After Hurricane Matthew swallowed her Goldsboro home in 2016, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) paid Staris Morgan some rental assistance and…

By TERRY WALLACE, Associated Press A two-day-old wildfire remained on the move Wednesday, with embers from burning tree crowns flying up to 200 yards, officials said. The Chalk Mountain Fire near Glen Rose, Texas, had burned almost 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of mostly short grass, brush and juniper as of midday Wednesday, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported. Sixteen homes were destroyed and five others were damaged, said spokeswoman Alexandra Schwier. Temperatures approaching…

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and BARBARA SURK ATHENS, Greece — Battered by heavy winds, firefighters in Greece struggled to contain new fires Wednesday around the capital of Athens while other countries in southern Europe took stock of the damage caused during the latest severe heat wave and prepared for the return of scorching temperatures. Two new fires broke out west of Athens following a round-the-clock effort to halt a blaze in the outskirts of the city…

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — For 10 years, Jacqueline Smith owned property in downtown Durham without any issues, but then in a matter of days her home flooded twice. “My husband was taking a shower and he heard the toilet go ‘glug-gala,’ because that means it’s coming back up,” Smith said. “So he comes yelling to the door because I was outside with a friend and we knew immediately that something was going to be happening.”…

By The Associated Press BEIJING — Flash floods in southwest and northwest China have left at least a dozen dead and put thousands of others in harm’s way, state media reported Sunday. In the southwestern province of Sichuan, at least six people have died and another 12 are missing after torrential rain triggered flash floods, state-owned news outlet CGTN reported. Some 1,300 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, the report said. Meanwhile, in Longnan…

By Eric Miller and Leslie Moreno, WRAL multimedia journalists Wake County, N.C. — Storms packed with excessive rain and electricity barreled through central North Carolina Friday. Roads were flooded, drivers were trapped and families were displaced as those powerful storms sparked several lightning fires. Storm damage leads to fires in the Triangle Friday afternoon flames roared at a home in Fuquay Varina, even in the rain. Neighbors like Roxey Ladar said they saw a flash…

By Eric Miller and Leslie Moreno, WRAL multimedia journalists Wake County, N.C. — Storms packed with excessive rain and electricity barreled through central North Carolina Friday. Roads were flooded, drivers were trapped and families were displaced as those powerful storms sparked several lightning fires. Storm damage leads to fires in the Triangle Friday afternoon flames roared at a home in Fuquay Varina, even in the rain. Neighbors like Roxey Ladar said they saw a flash…

By JOSEPH WILSON and ANGELA CHARLTON PARIS — Strong winds and hot, dry weather frustrated French firefighters’ efforts Saturday to contain a huge wildfire that raced across pine forests in the Bordeaux region for a fifth straight day, one of several wildfires scorching Europe this week. Among the worst fires have been in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died Friday when his plane crashed while on an operation in the northeast. It…

Storms packed with excessive rain and electricity barreled through central North Carolina Friday. Roads were flooded, drivers were trapped and families were displaced as those powerful storms sparked several lightning fires. Storm damage leads to fires in the Triangle A fire at a home in Fuquay Varina Friday night was most likely caused by lightning, though this hasn’t been confirmed by authorities. Neighbors told WRAL News they heard a loud boom and flash. There were…

VIRGINIA — Flooding in a remote pocket of southwest Virginia has damaged more than 100 homes and left some 40 people unaccounted for, but there are no confirmed deaths or injuries, authorities said Wednesday. First responders in Buchanan County began receiving reports of rising water and damage Tuesday night, authorities said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. After daybreak, crews conducted aerial surveys to examine the extent of the disaster. Several small communities in the…