PENDER COUNTY: ‘Like being in a battlefield’
"I was going to stay but fire and rescue said it would be three feet higher than Matthew," Ezzell said.
The StarNews followed Ezzell in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew as the
Sunday, he said he was waiting for fire and rescue to pick him up as he was totally blocked on his street from water creating over roads. His wife was picked up by rescue teams Saturday.
"We think water will be in the house by midnight," he said.
>>READ MORE: Click here for complete coverage of Hurricane Florence.
--
Tree into house
"We were putting holes in the floor just to get some of the water out," she said.
Her family helped turn some of the tears into laughter as they assessed the damage. Futrell said that, as a hometown
As insurance assessors come to look at the home, her next plan is to possibly bust out a window in the back bedroom to get clothing and furniture out of the back bedroom.
--
Residents asked to conserve water or be cut off
"We are in critical need of fuel to keep our water treatment plant up and running," said
The release said crews may not be able to access many facilities, including pumping stations in
"It is important PCU customers conserve water," said Keel. "We don't want to shut off our service, but the lack of fuel could force us to interrupt service."
"We are in critical need of diesel fuel to keep our water facility on NC 210 pumping water to the
The
Woodruff said that, if
--
"It's like being in a battlefield,"
As of Sunday morning, about 300 people had been rescued after being trapped at homes or other buildings, said
The overarching message from
"If you live along the
Two ambulances have been totaled while trying to respond during the storm -- one by a felled tree and another that was washed away by a flash flood, Sullivan said. Nobody was injured in either incident. A 5-ton rescue truck was also trapped in flood waters at one point, he said. A stop sign ripped from the ground blew the windshield of another truck, he said.
"The water is deeper than a 5-ton truck," Sullivan said. "With this kind of rainfall, it's just brutal."
But many more likely are in need of rescue.
"People are trapped in neighborhoods and subdivisions everywhere," County Manager
"I would say we probably have people out on rooftops right now," Collins said. "We have never seen this kind of rain before."
Hampering efforts to find and save people are ever-changing road conditions, Sheriff
"It's a moving target," he said. "They would go down one road while it was open and, when they turn around to come back, it's blocked."
"We have put people in ambulances, backed it up and plugged them in so they have power and had paramedics ... treat them in the ambulance," Collins said.
Every river in
"I was here for Floyd and that used to be our benchmark for rainfall," Smith said. "It looks like Florence is going to be our new benchmark."
Woodruff said county residents who heeded mandatory evacuation orders to leave can expect to stay out of town for an extended period of time.
"Roads will be closed at least a week. They're not going to be able to come back," he said. "Try staying for a few more days because it is a mess. It's not a good time for people to come back."
Collins said the county's debris removal contractor was starting to clear some roads, but efforts have been hampered by trees falling either on the same road or other roads throughout the county.
"We have issues on just about every major road in the county," he said.
About 15,000 customers were without power Sunday morning, according to Duke Energy. All schools and nearly every government office will closed throughout this week. A curfew from
Smith said
--
Reporter
___
(c)2018 the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.)
Visit the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) at www.starnewsonline.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
NEW HANOVER UPDATES: Part of Sutton Plant coal ash landfill collapses
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News