RALEIGH, N.C. _ Most rivers that surged to flood levels in North Carolina this week are beginning to subside, although about a dozen remain at major flood stage and some are expected to increase over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville dropped to 59.49 feet from 61.58 feet on Wednesday; flood stage is 35 feet. The Neuse River in Goldsboro recorded 26.66 feet, down from 27.6 feet but far above the 18-foot flood stage. The Northeast Cape Fear River at Burgaw dipped from 25.55 to 25.19; flood stage is 10 feet.
Robeson County has been reporting that gauges on the Lumber River have not been working accurately. Officials there estimate the river crested at 25 feet on Monday night and they are expecting a second crest of 24 feet over the weekend. Flood stage on the Lumber is 13 feet.
The threat of illness from overflowing and polluted rivers and streams across southeastern North Carolina will not subside when the waters recede.
The state's public health director, Betsey Tilson, is warning people who live near flooding to avoid the water because it could be contaminated with human waste from septic tanks, animal waste from farms, and agricultural pesticide runoff. Breached and spilling hog waste lagoons are contributing to the problem.
"People should always assume that flood water is always contaminated," Tilson said.
Rachel Noble, an environmental microbiologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said fecal coliform bacteria can survive in the current water conditions for weeks or longer.
The state Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday put out a call for physicians, nurses and behavioral health professionals to volunteer their services.
Roads are improving slowly, but state officials are still discouraging people from driving to southeastern North Carolina because of submerged or damaged roads. Large sections of Interstate 40 and Interstate 95 remained impassable.
Eastbound traffic filled with displaced people trying to return home, such as on U.S. 421 between Clinton and Wilmington, and the State Highway Patrol is warning drivers that the two-lane highway is becoming overwhelmed. Drivers could be stuck in that traffic for hours, New Hanover County Emergency Management officials said late Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, state transportation staff closed U.S. 421 again at the Pender-New Hanover county line where it crosses the Northeast Cape Fear River. Rising waters covered the highway and it wasn't clear when it would reopen.
One coastal community hit by the storm, Emerald Isle, has posted drone video footage on its website so that displaced residents can see if their houses were damaged.
Emerald Isle reported most houses had relatively minor damage, but there were numerous trees downed and roads blocked.
Gov. Roy Cooper is continuing his daily tours of damaged neighborhoods throughout that part of the state, beginning Thursday at the Lumberton Emergency Operations Center. He was expected to thank first responders and take a look at local damage.
The governor planned to meet volunteers at the Hyde Park Baptist Church in Lumberton and survey storm destruction near the Little River in Fayetteville. Cooper is set to wrap up the day with a news media briefing in Raleigh in the evening.
