2 children still missing 1 day after floodwaters ravaged central North Carolina
By
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Sep 1, 2020 6:38 PM EDT
Torrential rainfall prompted several water rescues due to severe flooding on Aug. 31. Floodwaters also swallowed up cars and even homes.
The final day of meteorological summer ended in disaster for residents in North Carolina. Extensive flooding throughout the state prompted numerous emergency rescues, trapped vehicles and has even left two children missing.
As of Wednesday morning, the search efforts for those children are still active but have been fruitless thus far.
An overnight flash flood late Monday night swept away the mother's car in Smithfield after the rushing waters washed away part of a road. First responders managed to rescue the mother and initially had one of the two children on a rescue boat as well, but that boat capsized, according to Smithfield Fire Chief John Blanton. Neither child has been found since.
Multiple calls came in for high water rescues in Rowan County, North Carolina, on Monday evening, Aug. 31, 2020. (Twitter / Rowan County's Miller's Ferry Fire Department)
"The water was so turbulent that the boat capsized and they lost the child," Blanton said in a press conference. "They were able to regain the mother. During the efforts to recover or find the children, they lost four boats. This morning, search efforts have gone out. They have located the vehicle and there's no one in the vehicle, so they're continuing the search this morning."
In Rowan County, the heavy rain forced evacuations and left one car submerged as its horn continued blaring. The car, which was unoccupied, was initially washed away from a parking lot, a local official confirmed to Salisbury Post reporter Shavonn Potts, who recorded video of the unseeable car and its blasting horn.
First responders in Salisbury, North Carolina, had a busy day rescuing individuals of all species after heavy flooding engulfed the region on Monday. (Twitter/@SalisburyNCFire)
Rowan County's Miller's Ferry Fire Department shared on Twitter that its rescue company responded to 12 calls on just Monday evening.
The Salisbury Fire Department was also kept busy, rescuing residents, assessing home damages and carrying pets to safety.
Farther east in Raleigh and Wake County, another 21 calls for rescue were made, according to ABC11. No injuries have been reported.
Water rescue efforts were widespread on Monday throughout central North Carolina as floodwaters damaged properties and reached residences. (Twitter / @SalisburyNCFire)
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck, the dramatic change from a pleasant weather over the weekend to a destructive Monday night shifted with the breeze.
"After a dry and pleasant Sunday with an east-northeastern wind and easy-to-take humidity for this time of year, with dew points in the 60s, the wind turned into the southeast on Monday and the humidity came back with dew points in the 70s," Smerbeck explained. Heating during the day and an upper-level system acted as a trigger to lift the warm and steamy air, he said, resulting in the torrential rainfall of 2 to 4 inches in Wake County.
Through the rest of the week, Smerbeck said conditions should be drier, which will aid in rescue and recovery efforts. Thunderstorms may affect areas on Wednesday, but a mainly dry and hot Thursday and Friday should alleviate the flooding before stormy conditions return over the weekend.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
2 children still missing 1 day after floodwaters ravaged central North Carolina
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Sep 1, 2020 6:38 PM EDT
Torrential rainfall prompted several water rescues due to severe flooding on Aug. 31. Floodwaters also swallowed up cars and even homes.
The final day of meteorological summer ended in disaster for residents in North Carolina. Extensive flooding throughout the state prompted numerous emergency rescues, trapped vehicles and has even left two children missing.
As of Wednesday morning, the search efforts for those children are still active but have been fruitless thus far.
An overnight flash flood late Monday night swept away the mother's car in Smithfield after the rushing waters washed away part of a road. First responders managed to rescue the mother and initially had one of the two children on a rescue boat as well, but that boat capsized, according to Smithfield Fire Chief John Blanton. Neither child has been found since.
Multiple calls came in for high water rescues in Rowan County, North Carolina, on Monday evening, Aug. 31, 2020. (Twitter / Rowan County's Miller's Ferry Fire Department)
"The water was so turbulent that the boat capsized and they lost the child," Blanton said in a press conference. "They were able to regain the mother. During the efforts to recover or find the children, they lost four boats. This morning, search efforts have gone out. They have located the vehicle and there's no one in the vehicle, so they're continuing the search this morning."
In Rowan County, the heavy rain forced evacuations and left one car submerged as its horn continued blaring. The car, which was unoccupied, was initially washed away from a parking lot, a local official confirmed to Salisbury Post reporter Shavonn Potts, who recorded video of the unseeable car and its blasting horn.
First responders in Salisbury, North Carolina, had a busy day rescuing individuals of all species after heavy flooding engulfed the region on Monday. (Twitter/@SalisburyNCFire)
Rowan County's Miller's Ferry Fire Department shared on Twitter that its rescue company responded to 12 calls on just Monday evening.
The Salisbury Fire Department was also kept busy, rescuing residents, assessing home damages and carrying pets to safety.
Farther east in Raleigh and Wake County, another 21 calls for rescue were made, according to ABC11. No injuries have been reported.
Water rescue efforts were widespread on Monday throughout central North Carolina as floodwaters damaged properties and reached residences. (Twitter / @SalisburyNCFire)
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck, the dramatic change from a pleasant weather over the weekend to a destructive Monday night shifted with the breeze.
"After a dry and pleasant Sunday with an east-northeastern wind and easy-to-take humidity for this time of year, with dew points in the 60s, the wind turned into the southeast on Monday and the humidity came back with dew points in the 70s," Smerbeck explained. Heating during the day and an upper-level system acted as a trigger to lift the warm and steamy air, he said, resulting in the torrential rainfall of 2 to 4 inches in Wake County.
Through the rest of the week, Smerbeck said conditions should be drier, which will aid in rescue and recovery efforts. Thunderstorms may affect areas on Wednesday, but a mainly dry and hot Thursday and Friday should alleviate the flooding before stormy conditions return over the weekend.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo