Roads fill with water and a fish in central North Carolina flooding

By Kasey Cunningham, WRAL reporter, & Deborah Strange, WRAL digital journalist

Floodwaters rose as rain fell Saturday, leading to two families being rescued from their Zebulon homes.

Rescues took place on Little River Circle and on Zebulon Road, the Hopkins Fire Department said. The victims included at least three children.

Multiple roads across central North Carolina were under water or broken.

In Rolesville, Bridges Pond overflowed onto Mitchell Mill Road, causing the road to collapse.

On Lassiter Road, pavement was completely washed away.

Firefighters from the Wake New Hope Volunteer Fire Department blocked the area off and put up barricades to prevent cars from speeding down a hill.

Mitchel Dixon’s driveway washed out in the rain.

“The road was actually flexing,” Dixon said. “The asphalt was flexing, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it would take it out…I’ve been here 30 years and never seen it this bad before,” he said.

In Wake Forest, floodwaters trapped a car on Ligon Mill Road. The driver was able to escape.

Residents said they were hoping a break in the rain would allow the water to recede.

“Thankfully the sun’s out,” Jessica Pendola said Saturday afternoon. “We’re praying it stays that way with enough of a break that the rain coming later will stay away from our house.”

Crews found a fish in the Wake Forest floodwaters. It wasn’t clear where the fish came from.

A building in Durham flooded for the fifth time in 10 years, the owner of the health services business Oriental Health Solutions said.

Local government and law enforcement agencies were using social media to share photos of flooded roads and warnings about detours and the dangers of high water.

Rain is expected to continue Sunday and into early next week.