Hurricane Matthew kills 7 in NC, leaves historic flooding in its wake
The sun is returning to the state as the task of drying out and cleaning up after the storm begins.
Matthew was blamed for at least 7 deaths after as much as 16 inches of rain fell in parts of the state throughout Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remain without electricity as the combination of sodden ground and gusty winds brought down countless trees.
"As the sun rises in
The
As of Sunday morning, there had been more than 900 water rescues in the state -- 562 in
All seven deaths were related to vehicles that tried to traverse flooded roadways, McCrory said.
Two occured in
The other was one of five people who got stuck inside a
"Four escaped and were able to cling to trees until rescue arrived," Gordon said. "The other they're still looking for and is presumed deceased."
Smaller creeks and rivers, including
"This is going to be a prolonged event," McCrory said. "
About 489,000
More than 4,200 people have sought refuge in the 83 storm shelters opened for the storm, McCrory said. About 70 people were evacuated from the
In the Triangle, numerous streets and roads remain blocked by water and fallen trees.
In
The heavy rain stressed dams in the region, including
McCrory said he was requesting an expedited major disaster declaration from the federal govenment, which would qualify the state for additional federal assistance. That would include making grants available to people without flood insurance and help to state and local governments in repairing roads and bridges and cleaning up debris.
Flood warnings remain in effect in most eastern counties, including the Triangle.
A tropical storm warning remains up for the coast between
Staff writer
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