According to City Manager Bruce Oakley, Carolina Beach was hit hard by the rains. “It’s probably the worst flooding we’ve ever seen in Carolina Beach,” he told CNN. “We’ve had to rescue people from vehicles and buildings, including homes and businesses.”
Carolina Beach was declared a state of emergency after National Weather Service In Wilmington, one location recorded 18 inches (460 mm) of rain in just 12 hours, a historic event that only occurs once every 1,000 years. Other areas of the region received over a foot (30 cm) of rain in just 12 hours, an event that only occurs once every 200 years.
Oakley noted that Emergency services were busy responding to numerous rescue calls.
The storm, identified as Potential Tropical Cyclone Eightwas not well enough organized to be classified as a tropical or subtropical storm. It is expected to weaken by early Wednesday.
Due to the flooding, Carolina Beach Elementary School had to close early. Police and firefighters helped bring the children home as the paths were blocked by water up to 3 feet deep.
Brunswick County Southport also experienced heavy rain, with rainfall totals of over 4 to 5 inches per hour. In just three hours, over 9 inches of rain fell in Sunny Point. “Our officers are assisting several individuals trapped in their cars and homes,” the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Southport City Council issued a curfew and nighttime curfew.
On Monday evening, conditions improved in Carolina Beach and tropical storm Warnings for the Carolinas coast were lifted, but many abandoned vehicles remained on the roads, said Mayor Lynn Barbee.
Despite the system’s weakening, North Carolina remained under a flood warning through Tuesday. The National Weather Service warned that “excessive runoff could cause flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone areas.”
Meteorologists expect the system to continue to weaken over the next day, with the low expected to dissipate over the Carolinas by Wednesday morning. They also noted that less than an inch of additional precipitation is expected Monday night, but the chance of rain on Tuesday is only 20%.
“There is water in the building…”
Michael McLaughlinthe owner of The Fat Pelican, reported his problems with the flooding, as quoted by CNN: “There is water in the building. I am trying to salvage items that have been washed away.” Despite the damage, McLaughlin remained confident of getting the business up and running again.
Lisa and Gary Hollon, who have owned a home in Kure Beach for nearly 15 years, experienced flooding for the first time. “We were completely taken aback because we had never experienced flooding before,” Lisa Hollon said, adding that the first floor of their home was suddenly under 4 to 6 inches of water.
In Supply, North Carolina, Timothy Turner helped his neighbors navigate the floodwaters with his surfboard. Turner described how he used his board to rescue a neighbor’s dog. “I’ve done 25 rip current rescues in the last eight years, but this was the first time I used a surfboard for a dog rescue,” he said, according to CNN.
By early August, Tropical Storm Debby had already drenched the Carolinas with 6 to 12 inches of rain, causing flash flooding near Charleston, South Carolina.
