The dam at McLauchlin Lake held last night, but emergency officials watched it closely and ordered a mandatory evacuation. Two dozen military personnel, and Rockfish Fire Department members went door-to-door in a large area that stretched from Rockfish Road to Camp Rockfish warning residents that if they didn't leave, the failure of the dam might mean an extended time that rescuers couldn't reach them. Emergency Management Director Bryan Marley said this morning that some left, a few going to shelters.
Marley said emergency workers kept an eye on the dam, which sits beside Rockfish Road on the southwest outskirts of the community, and while water overtopped the dam, it so far hasn't breeched it.
Two shelters remain open in Hoke County—at Don Steed Elementary and West Hoke Middle School—and will for the time being as Emergency Management monitors continued flooding. The Lumber River, Marley says, isn't expected to crest until Tuesday.
The Emergency Operations Center at the sheriff's office has been operating in full force since Thursday, partial since Wednesday, and is to return to a scaled down version today around 8. County workers, Raeford Police, Hoke Sheriff's deputies and others have been staffing the center to field calls and direct response to the storm.
County offices are closed, and that includes the landfill and convenience sites. Don Russell, director of sanitation, says work is underway to get the sites up and running but as of last night, Antioch and 5 Points still lacked power.
Hoke Schools are closed today.
We've been told the Post Office is open today.
We'll continue to post followup information in coming days, though perhaps at a reduced rate.
Meanwhile, there's still a chance of showers and thunderstorms today and tomorrow, with Wednesday predicted to be a nice day. The storm will be tracking from Kentucky through Pennsylvania and heading off to sea. Moist air will persist, the National Weather Service says, and could provide another quarter of an inch of rain today. The forecast is for breezy conditions throughout the day.
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