North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency for four counties in southeastern North Carolina that received severe flooding and heavy rainfall during Monday’s storms.
The declaration makes additional help available to Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and New Hanover counties.
The order activates the state emergency operations plan and allows for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to take action to ensure the protection and safety of the impacted communities.
Cooper visited Southport on Wednesday to address the damage caused by tropical cyclone eight.
The storm developed quickly, dropping well over a foot of rain in some areas, and catching officials and residents off guard.
"In one of the areas, with the amount of rainfall we got so fast, it was described as a one in a thousand year event," Cooper said.
The state highway patrol has confirmed one death caused by the storm: 80-year-old Richard Walton Robinson, a Brunswick County man who drowned after driving around parked Sheriff’s Office vehicles and trying to drive through floodwaters.
Cooper confirmed flooding damaged roads in at least 22 locations; a crew of more than 100 is working on repairs.
