CANTON, NC – 11:45 a.m. Thursday Update
The Haywood County EMS says multiple people have been deemed safe following a devastating flood near Canton, North Carolina. Unfortunately, they posted Thursday morning that “We have around 20 people still unaccounted for,” and that, “Unfortunately, two individuals were confirmed dead overnight. We are working with the medical examiner to make identification now.”
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North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, issued a State of Emergency in response to devastating flooding in western North Carolina.
Nearly 100 people were rescued due to flooding brought on by Fred in Canton, North Carolina — a town just outside of Asheville. As of Wednesday evening, however, Haywood County EMS reported 35 people were missing. The search is expected to resume Thursday morning.
The same Facebook post made by Haywood County EMS reported that there was damage to 10-15 bridges in Fred’s wake.
The Pigeon River in Canton, North Carolina usually runs at about 2 feet. The rain from Tropical Depression Fred, however, was enough to bring the river to a crest of 19.76 feet Tuesday evening.
This made for the 4th-highest crest on record for the river. The river has since come down below flood stage, but the impacts still remain.
Radar-estimated rain totals, in addition to official observations, show that 6-10″ of rain fell in and around Asheville this week. That included Canton. Parts of Transylvania County, North Carolina received more than a foot of rain thanks to Fred’s moisture.