North Carolina governor: Flooded historic town will get help

Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Backchannel’s Jessi Hempel for more.http://newshour-tc.pbs.org/newshour/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RTX2NR64-e1476233873536-320×196.jpg2365862665Se003VNohMw195285195296http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/news-wrap-receding-waters-reveal-ruinous-hurricane-damage/News Wrap: Receding waters reveal ruinous hurricane damageIn our news wrap Tuesday, the death toll of Hurricane Matthew rose to 30 in the United States, half from North Carolina.

Gov. Pat McCrory said Wednesday morning that the priorities are the communities along the Neuse River and Tar River.

“There are a lot of people that are hurting and living in shelters”, said McCrory, noting 3,800 people remain in shelters as numerous rivers approach their crests. “We’re going to have to rebuild a town”. Entire towns remain underwater, and swollen rivers still haven’t crested.

More than 106,000 students also are unable to attend class because the hurricane damaged around 300 schools and forced many others to be converted into temporary shelters. A dike failed then. Brown muck from Floyd could still be seen above the chair rail, though the water wasn’t forecast to rise quite that high this time. The Tar River continued to rise as forecasters expected it to crest above 25 feet by early Friday, a slight upward revision from previous estimates. Some rivers were expected to be at record levels Friday – six days after Matthew’s rains ended.

“Everybody should consider their flood risk because water damage is the most common type of insurance claim in the United States”, said Robert Hartwig, clinical associate professor of finance at the University of SC and special consultant to the Insurance Information Institute. This is going to be our major priority: “how do we get at least temporary housing for people who have been flooded?”

The number could climb further.

He also reported that a 51-year-old man died while walking in flood waters in Johnston County on Sunday, but the body had just been recovered.

“They are overwhelmed with 911 calls, medical and rescues and supplies are very scarce and getting things where they need to be is a challenge”, she said. The search produced no clues to his whereabouts.

Matthew left much of the road under water because of tidal flooding and heavy rains. He toured Kinston on Thursday afternoon.

By now, people are facing the unpleasant – and sometimes disheartening – task of cleaning up after Hurricane Matthew and the lingering flooding. One person died while trying to drive through flood waters in Wayne County, he said. The Guard will help with both evacuation and security afterward, he said. That’s down from about 850,000 customers who lost power at the height of the storm.

Hurricane Matthew’s record rainfalls occurred even as the storm system dissipated and the hurricane was downgraded to a post-tropical storm. Almost 3,400 people remain in shelters, though mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for several parts of the state.

State officials are urging beachgoers to pay close attention to danger spots and take alternate routes. “Our streamgages and staff members in the field are capturing that vital information, and we’re providing it in real-time to the National Weather Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and state and local agencies”. A state interactive flooding map shows that areas next to her neighborhood have flooded. A seven-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 40 near Newton Grove has yet to open.

She said the services in McDowell will not be affected with personnel in eastern NC, and at this time no more fulltime staff is being deployed. “They have nothing to go to”.

Residents along Cane Creek in Moore County, west of Fayetteville, were advised to evacuate; the fear is that the upstream Woodlake Dam, now reinforced with sandbags, will be breached by the water.