North Carolina - Tropical Storm Eta November 16, 2020

North Carolina – Tropical Storm Eta
                             November 16, 2020

Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
(919) 814-2000 https://governor.nc.gov
https://twitter.com/nc_governor
http://www.facebook.com/ncgovernor

11/13/2020:

Flood warnings remain in effect this morning for much of central North Carolina and
along rivers across the state, after a cold front interacting with moisture from Tropical
Storm Eta caused widespread heavy rainfall yesterday across North Carolina. While
many rivers across western and central NC will crest today or are currently receding,
rivers across eastern North Carolina will continue to rise through the weekend.

“This storm has already claimed several lives, and everyone should exercise caution by
avoiding flooded roads and areas along swollen creeks and rivers,” said Governor Roy
Cooper. “Our prayers go out to the families and friends of those who were injured or
killed by these devastating floods.”

Three individuals were killed at a flooded campground in Hiddenite. A state search and
rescue task force arrived last night in Alexander County to assist in the search for two
people who went missing from the same campground. One death has been reported in
Wake County, where a child drowned in a creek. The State Highway Patrol reports
several additional fatalities from weather-related collisions or accidents in Iredell,
Alexander, Rockingham and Person counties.

Governor Cooper declared a statewide State of Emergency Friday. Local states of
emergency have been declared in Alexander, Burke, Catawba, Iredell and Yadkin
counties. Damage assessments will be conducted in the coming days to determine if
areas qualify for state or federal disaster declarations.

Numerous water rescues occurred yesterday across the state. The National Weather
Service is estimating more than 9 inches of rain fell in Rocky Mount and Harrisburg.
Many other areas saw estimated rainfall amounts between 4 inches and 9 inches,
exceeding weather forecasts.

Flooding prompted hundreds of road closures, including a few interstate shutdowns and
bridge washouts. As of Friday morning, the N.C. Department of Transportation reported
more than 430 state-maintained road closures. The closures included hundreds of
secondary roads from the mountains to the coast and stretches of highways including I-
95 north in Johnston County, I-795 in Wilson, U.S. 311 near the Virginia line in
Rockingham County, N.C. 73 in Richmond County and N.C. 209 in Madison County,

where state crews worked on Friday to repair the road damaged when a slope failed.
Also, numerous bridges were damaged or closed due to flooding.

State transportation officials urged people to avoid traveling through flooded roads and
never go around barricades. Motorists should continue to be careful as travel could be
hazardous through the weekend and into next week.

Eta is now an extratropical low pressure system as it races northeastward and away
from the North Carolina coast. Some minor street flooding is possible with this
morning’s high tide across southeastern North Carolina. High tides and surf may remain
elevated into the weekend.

Major flooding is forecast along the Neuse River and Contentnea Creek and moderate
flooding is forecast along the Cashie, Dan, Cape Fear, Northeast Cape Fear, Lumber,
Tar, South Fork Catawba, Yadkin and South Yadkin Rivers.

Visit the state’s Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network at fiman.nc.gov for the
latest river observations and flood forecasts for rivers and streams near
you. DriveNC.gov provides current information from the N.C. Department of
Transportation on road closures across the state.

Department of Emergency Management
1636 Gold Star Drive
Raleigh NC 27607
(919) 825-2500
https://www.ncdps.gov/ncem
https://twitter.com/NCEmergency
https://www.facebook.com/NCEmergency

24-hour call center is available to provide assistance: (919) 733-3300

To contact your county directly, visit: https://www.ncdps.gov/Emergency-
Management/EM-Community/Directories/Counties for a list of phone numbers.

Red Cross-North Carolina

Red Cross Greater Carolinas Region
2425 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 28203
(704) 376-1661
https://www.redcross.org/local/north-carolina/greater-carolinas.html
https://twitter.com/GCRRedCross
https://www.facebook.com/redcrossgreatercarolinas

Red Cross Eastern North Carolina Region
4737 University Drive, Building 3
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 489-6541
https://www.redcross.org/local/north-carolina/eastern-north-carolina.html
https://twitter.com/RedCrossENC
https://www.facebook.com/redcrossenc

       To search for local shelters, visit: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-
       relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html

Department of Transportation
Transportation Building
1 S. Wilmington St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 715-7000
https://www.ncdot.gov
https://twitter.com/ncdot
https://www.facebook.com/NCDOT

For up-to-date traffic information, visit: https://drivenc.gov

United Way/211 Information and Referrals Lines
These information and referral lines may know of additional resources currently
providing assistance, such as food pantries, clothing closets, emergency shelters, and
agencies offering financial assistance. Please call and provide your zip code and
demographic information in order to receive referrals.

North Carolina 211: https://www.nc211.org
From all local numbers dial 2-1-1. If calling from an out-of-area number or a mobile
phone, please call: (888) 892-1162

NATIONAL RESOURCES:

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)
500 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20472
(800) 621-3362
http://www.fema.gov
Please visit the website and click on “Disaster Declarations”. If a disaster is declared,
please call to apply for assistance by phone, or visit http://www.fema.gov/apply-
assistance to apply online.

DISASTERASSISTANCE.GOV
https://www.disasterassistance.gov
Offers information about local resources for disasters, including: FEMA Disaster
Recovery Centers (DRCs), Red Cross, food, shelter, state emergency management
agencies, and hospital locators.
To determine if individual disaster assistance is available through FEMA, please visit
the website and enter the address.
To locate your local state emergency management agency for disaster information and
updates, please visit http://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies

AMERICAN RED CROSS NATIONAL
National Headquarters
2025 East Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 303-4498 or (800) 733-2767
http://www.redcross.org
Please call or visit the website to locate your local chapter and open shelters.

AMERICAN RED CROSS SAFE AND WELL LIST
https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php
Residents affected can notify their friends and family that they are safe by visiting the
website and selecting “List Myself as Safe and Well.” Individuals can also search for
loved ones by selecting “Search Registrants.”

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Weather alerts by state are available at http://www.weather.gov/alerts.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL
Local forecasts and severe weather alerts, available at http://www.weather.com.

NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo

SAFE TRAVEL USA
http://www.safetravelusa.com

Free Help Line: Optum, a leading health and behavioral health services company, is
offering a free emotional-support help line.

The toll-free number, 866-342-6892, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
for as long as necessary. The service is free of charge and open to anyone. Specially
trained Optum mental health specialists help people manage their stress and anxiety so
they can continue to address their everyday needs. Callers may also receive referrals to
community resources to help them with specific concerns, including financial and legal
matters.

Along with the toll-free help line, emotional-support resources and information are
available online at https://www.liveandworkwell.com