Search
Make wrtv.com your home page

2 dead, 20 missing after Fred sweeps through North Carolina county

In this image provided by New Hanover County Fire Rescue, members of North Carolina’s Task Force 11, based in New Hanover County, are shown during rescue efforts in Canton, N.C, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Authorities said that dozens of water rescues were performed after the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dumped rain on the mountains of North Carolina. (New Hanover County Fire Rescue via AP)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

Authorities in North Carolina say two people have died, and 20 are still missing after destructive floods caused by Tropical Storm Fred swept through parts of the state.

According to the Associated Press, a search and rescue mission is underway in Haywood County as more than 250 people search along the Pigeon River for those that are still missing.

Fred, now a post-tropical cyclone, swept through the state on Tuesday, caused flooding that prompted dozens of water rescues, the AP reported.

The identities of the two people who were found dead were not immediately released.

In Cruso, 10 bridges were either destroyed or damaged. Engineers are working to build temporary bridges to allow people in and out of their residences.

On Thursday, a nearby high school being used as an emergency shelter housed 11 people.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who surveyed the area on Thursday, has declared a state of emergency.

“Storms are more ferocious than they were before,” Gov. Cooper said according to the AP. “Climate change has contributed to that.”

WRTV.com Trending Stories