Cape Fear River Continues To Rise, Cresting Timeline Shifts
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cape Fear and Little Rivers continue to rise. The time for cresting of the Cape Fear River has moved several times and is now projected for 2 a.m. Wednesday at a height of 61.5’. As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Cape Fear River was at 59 feet, which is above Hurricane Matthew levels.
There is a strong potential that those who live within the 1-mile evacuation area of the Cape Fear River will be impacted by flooding. Additionally, high speed, fast-moving water with debris will likely cause bridge damage and it is advised that residents do not walk or drive on bridges that have been flooded.
Also do not go around or move barricades in roadways. Those barricades are there to mark flooded areas and sink holes. We have had reports from the law enforcement that people are moving them, which is needlessly endangering the lives of our residents.
Even though the heavy rains have ended, the flood hazard to life and property is real. Do not become complacent.
The rainfall that fell last night is accumulating in tributaries and flowing into the Little River. The Little River level will not go down quickly, contributing to the Cape Fear River’s already-overflowing banks. This could be a long-lasting and dangerous situation that will likely not subside until well into the weekend.
Water Rescues
There have been 81 people rescued throughout the County, with the majority occurring around North Bragg Blvd and Manchester Road. The water rescues were conducted by County, City of Fayetteville and FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Teams.
Shelters
As of 7:12 a.m., there were 1,202 people in the shelters.
|
Capacity |
Current Population At 7:15 p.m. |
|
|
College Lakes |
120 |
25 |
|
Kiwanis Recreation Center |
200 |
102 |
|
Mac Williams Middle School |
210 |
66 |
|
Pine Forest High School (Pet Friendly) |
275 |
250 |
|
Seventy-First High School |
295 |
95 |
|
Smith Recreation Center |
100 |
64 |
|
South View High School (Pet Friendly) |
310 |
236 |
|
W. T. Brown Elementary School |
125 |
36 |
|
Manna Church (Private Run Shelter) |
175 |
100 |
|
National Guard Armory (State Shelter) |
90 |
43 |
|
True Vine Ministries (Private Run Shelter) |
|
63 |
|
TOTAL |
1900 |
1080 |
The pet friendly shelters are also housing 91 pets, including a rabbit and two birds.
Roads
Flood waters are still rising. You should still stay off the roadways. There are many roads that are closed. Remember, road conditions are changing hourly.
At this time N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has not scheduled any bridge closures. NCDOT is monitoring the bridges. If NCDOT closes bridges, an announcement will be made.
If you have questions about state roads, go to the N.C. Department of Transportation website drivenc.gov.
For information about City of Fayetteville roads, visit the city website at fayettevillenc.gov and click on the red Hurricane Updates banner at the top of the page. Click on City Service Changes & Updates and Read Road Conditions.
Power Outages
As of 5:30 p.m., Sept. 17, PWC reported 2,543 Power Outages.
For numbers on other electric providers in Cumberland County, the media and public can monitor updates at the following links:
Lumbee River EMC: https://outages.lumbeeriver.com/
South River EMC: http://74.122.16.84/#viewer-menu-parent
Duke Energy Progress: https://www.duke-energy.com/outages/current-outages
