Sunday Morning

Continued problems with falling trees and power lines, and rising water plagued Hoke County overnight, but it will be a few hours before a good assessment of where we are can be made. The Hoke Emergency Operations Center says two feet of water across Red Springs Highway (NC211) has the road blocked at the county line. Rockfish Road remains blocked in the vicinity of the overflowing McLauchlin Lake—between Peacan Trace and Overlake. Last night the National Guard warned residents in the area (Country Walk) of the danger. Garvin Ferguson in the EOC says a big problem officials are seeing is people driving into fallen trees. So far, no life-threatening injuries have been reported in the county during the storm.

Tropical Depression Florence, now centered about 10 miles southwest of Columbia, S.C. has lost most of her wind fury with no more sustained tropical force winds. Further weakening is forecast as the storm continues its westward track before turning north, and eventually heading back out to sea. The Nat. Hurricane Center says this morning's advisory will be its last on the storm, so we turn now to the National Weather Service for rain information.

Radar cumulative maps (see chart) show about 8 inches of rain has fallen in Hoke County since Florence began. Rainfall of higher than 20 inches fell just to our east and south in some portions of Robeson and Cumberland County, not to mention the totals at the coast. The Lumber River in Lumberton was four feet above flood stage at 7:30 last night and is forecast to rise to 11 feet above flood stage by tomorrow. 

In Hoke County, there's a potential for 3.5 inches today, with heaviest rain this morning,  and wind of 20 mph before rain and wind begin to subside tonight. Showers Monday and Tuesday are possible with the first drier day on Wednesday as a front pushes through.

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Two quick notes:

Aid contribution possibility: NC Baptists On A Mission are setting up large feeding kitchens across flooded areas, first in New Bern. Other sites will be set up soon. They're also planning mud-outs, tear-outs, and chainsaw work.  https://baptistsonmission.org

Governor Roy Cooper is planning to join a U.S. Coast Guard flyover of damage across eastern NC at 8 a.m. and to report to media at noon.