By Rachel Baldauf
Flooding remains a threat in southeastern North Carolina on Friday after Tropical Storm Debby marched slowly through the state.
In the Border Belt, Robeson County was under a flood watch Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Lumberton near the Lumber River was under a flood warning.
The Lumber River at Lumberton was classified as “major flood stage” with a water level of 18.30 feet Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Cape Fear River at Tarheel was 24.38 feet — moderate flood stage — and the Waccamaw River at Freeland was at minor flood stage at 15.84 feet.
“As the rivers crest in the coming days and clean up begins in areas that have experienced damage, please avoid travel, if possible,” North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray said in a news release.
The region could see more rain and thunderstorms on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Some roads throughout the region are flooded. A photo posted on X, formerly Twitter, shows an SUV nearly submerged in water near a car dealership on Linkhaw Road.
Shelter opens
The Robeson County Church and Community Center opened a shelter Thursday evening at Osterneck Auditorium in Lumberton.
Buses provided by the Public Schools of Robeson County have been stationed at a sheriff’s office substation and other locations throughout Robeson County in the case of evacuations, Wilkins said in a statement on Facebook.
