Rolesville child drowns in heavy flooding. Rains close I-95 and other roads across NC.
A punishing rain pounded North Carolina on Thursday, as a child drowned in Rolesville, Interstate 95 closed near Wilson and campers had to be rescued in Western North Carolina.
Police in Rolesville said they responded to a drowning call on Lord Granville Way, where a child was last seen near a creek.
The child, whose name and age were not disclosed, was recovered unresponsive from the water about an hour later, police said. Witnesses told the Wake County Sheriff’s Office they saw the child playing near an overflowed creek, according to a tweet from the department.
The creek ran swiftly Thursday, but its banks were only a few feet apart, passing under a wooden footbridge in the Heritage community off Rogers Road.
Neighbors said the creek usually amounts to a quiet trickle, but nearby retention ponds overflow and spill into it in heavy rains.
“You have to be careful when it rains like crazy,” neighbor Mike Taylor told ABC11, the N&O’s media partner. “It can flood really quick.”
A flood warning remained in effect until 8:45 a.m. Friday for about 30 counties in central North Carolina, including Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties.
The Wake County school system dismissed all schools two hours early to create additional travel time for bus drivers and parents because of the heavy rains. The early dismissal applied to all employees and impacted remote learning schedules, as well.
Elsewhere in Wake County, on Holly Springs New Hill Road, the Sheriff’s Office responded to a motorist stranded in a vehicle in flooded waters. The driver was on the roof of the car, according to a tweet from the Sheriff’s Office.
Flooding at campground
Elsewhere in the state, three people died and two remained unaccounted for, including a 1-year-old, after waters engulfed the Hiddenite Family Campground in Alexander County, about an hour north of Charlotte, Sheriff Chris Bowman said Thursday afternoon.
Thirty-one people were rescued from the 30-acre campground along the South Yadkin River.
More than 4 inches of rain fell in parts of central North Carolina since midnight Wednesday, with the potential for more wet weather, the National Weather Service said.
Wet conditions led to road closures across the state, including in the Triangle.
The N.C. Department of Transportation said I-95 closed in both directions in Wilson County due to rising water.
The Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport on Wednesday saw its wettest conditions in 20 years when more than 5 inches of rain fell in six hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Clearing expected Friday
Near the coast, wet weather was expected to add to the 3.5 inches of rain that already fell in some areas. Parts of the region were expected to see up to 6 inches of rainfall, high winds or isolated tornadoes, forecasters said.
In Charlotte, flooding on Thursday closed parts of Interstate 85.
Forecasters predicted “numerous rounds of rain and storms” in central North Carolina on Thursday. Its flash flood warning means flooding is happening or “imminent.”
“Drivers are urged to slow down and use extra caution to avoid hydroplaning, especially in urban areas where prolonged heavy rain can quickly lead to flooding,” the National Weather Service said.
Skies were expected to clear late Friday, according to the weather service.
Joe Marusak of the Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 8:05 AM.
