The second death happened Thursday evening when a tree fell on a woman’s home along Clearwater Lane in Rockingham County , Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said. A 78-year-old woman in the home was killed after the tree sliced through the house.
The third death happened near Lumberton in Robeson County on Saturday afternoon when a driver’s car was swept away by floodwaters along a closed-off road, Lumberton Rescue and EMS said.
Crews along Old Whiteville Road in Robeson County on Saturday trying to rescue a driver. Photo courtesy: Lumberton Rescue and EMS
On Sunday, there were still more than 140 roads closed — many flooded — across North Carolina from the effects of Debby, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Authorities in Lumberton said Saturday that the death after driving into floodwaters happened along Old Whiteville Road off N.C. 211 near Boardman.
The driver went around closed signs and ended up in water that swept their car off the road into very deep water just off the street. The roof of the car could barely be seen beneath the water as rescuers in boats tried to rescue someone.
“The photos illustrate the professional response for what we thought would be a rescue, but sadly turned into a recovery,” Lumberton Rescue and EMS said.
Officials didn’t identify the driver but said currents were moving along the road with water up to a foot deep.
A boater along Old Whiteville Road in Robeson County on Saturday trying to rescue a driver. Photo courtesy: Lumberton Rescue and EMS
“It bears repeating,” the agency said in the post. “Never drive into flooded roadways and obey road closed signage.”
The road was still closed Sunday with flooding along several areas closer to N.C. 242 and the Boardman area.
While many rivers had receded by Sunday following Tropical Storm Debby, flood warnings and flood watches remained in effect across central and eastern North Carolina, where more thunderstorms were possible over the next few days.
Fire crews in Cumberland County were able to save this driver from floods on Thursday in the Downing Road area near Interstate 95. Photo courtesy: Vander Fire Department
With the ground already saturated from Debby, the National Weather Service said localized downpours could result in additional flash flooding throughout the coastal Carolinas.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report
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