Cumberland County issues State of Emergency before Tropical Storm Debby arrives

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Emergency workers are keeping a close eye on the level of the Lumber River, which is expected to reach major flood stage – more than 21 feet – by Wednesday night.

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to dump around 9 inches of rain in counties south of the Triangle, the same areas hit during Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence.

The biggest threat from Debby is heavy rain and flooding, according to WRAL meteorologists. Aside from the coast, areas southeast of the Triangle, like Fayetteville, could get the most rain from the tropical storm.

Cumberland County has issued a State of Emergency before Tropical Storm Debby arrives.

Cumberland County will open five locations as emergency shelters starting 4 p.m. Wednesday. The shelters are:

• Mac Williams Middle School: 4644 Clinton Rd., Fayetteville
• Pine Forest High School: 525 Andrews Rd., Fayetteville
• Smith Recreation Center: 1520 Slater Ave., Fayetteville
• South View High School (Pet Friendly): 4184 Elk Road, Hope Mills
• Westover Recreation Center (Pet Friendly): 267 Bonanza Dr., Fayetteville

Fort Liberty released all non-essential personnel in advance of Debby’s arrival.

Estimated rain totals from Debby include:

• Wilmington: 10-15 inches
• Fayetteville: 6-9 inches
• Raleigh: 4-7 inches
• Durham: 4-7 inches
• Northern counties: 3-5 inches

Slow-moving, rain-heavy storms have hit North Carolina many times, including in 2018, when Hurricane Florence dropped up to 30 inches in some areas. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian dropped up to 7 inches of rain.

With Debby, rain totals are expected to range from 4 to 9 inches, with the majority of the rain falling between Wednesday and Friday.

The Lumber River is a flood-prone area. In 2018, the river breached Interstate 95, isolating the area and destroying homes. Communities in the area could be flooded by Wednesday night.

Wayne Horne, Lumberton’s city manager, said lessons were learned after Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence devastated communities in the area,

“We have the on-the-job training and learning experience,” Horne said. “We’ve learned a lot from the last two hurricanes.”

Preparing for flooding involves coordination between the city, county and state to bring resources to local communities.

Plans include strengthening the levy that protects Lumberton from the river. In 2018, a breach of the temporary structure caused massive devastation.

“Where we saw that we had weak links … with our substations, with our wells, with our water plant, we’ve invested quite a bit through federal and state assistance and local monies to correct those problems so we don’t have a reassurance,” Horne said.

On Tuesday, WRAL News spoke with Robeson County’s director of emergency management, who said crews have also been working to clean the canals to prevent flooding.

He added more personnel is in place for water rescues, and shelters will be available if residents have to evacuate.

On Monday, Gene Booth, Cumberland County’s emergency services director, said the county is planning for worst-case scenarios but has not yet activated the Emergency Operations Center or opened any shelters.

According to Booth, the county is ready to activate its emergency response in a moment’s notice.

Residents prepare for Debby, ready to evacuate

Clyde Hunt said he dropped everything to prepare for potential flooding from Debby.

“I actually took today off just to move all my items and get those inside the building,” Hunt told WRAL News on Tuesday. “It’s hard to sleep. I’m on the edge just thinking, ‘how high is the water going to get?’ It’s not a good feeling.”

Hunt lived through Hurricane Florence in 2018, watching from his porch as the water from the Lumber River consumed his home and turned his street into a river.

“I don’t want to lose any of my items,” Hunt said. “You just have to take that extra day to prepare and plan before it gets here. If you don’t, you’ll lose everything.”

WRAL News on Monday visited a neighborhood in Gray’s Creek on Penneystone Drive, which was hit hard by both Matthew and Florence when Rockfish Creek flooded homes, forcing residents to be evacuated by swift water recuse teams.

The threat of flooding from Debby has neighbors in the area concerned.

Paul White said his father’s home was one of the homes destroyed in Hurricane Matthew.

“Before Matthew came, it rained about two weeks prior to the storm coming,” said White. “The concern I’ve got is we’ve had about three weeks of rain and now another one’s coming. It scares me.”

Neighbors told WRAL News they’re not taking any chances; they are packed and ready to evacuate in the event that heavy rain causes Rockfish Creek to start rising.

Sondra Maynard survived both Matthew and Florence. Now Debby is knocking at the door.

“It does put a little bit of fear, but, considering what I went through with Matthew … I had PTSD for the first two years after Matthew, so every time it would rain I would panic and it was bad.”

Maynard has cleared some of her trees so she can get a better look at Rockfish Creek. She also built a retaining wall in hopes of keeping the water out of her house.

WRAL News asked her when she would evacuate.

“If the rain starts … if I see that deck starting to get up underwater, it’s time for me to pack up and get away from the creek,” she said.

People can visit FIMAN.nc.gov, North Carolina’s Flooding Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, to sign up to get alerts when rivers near their home are at risk for flooding.

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