Rising flood waters threatening North Carolina after Hurricane Florence

The sun may have broken through in North Carolina, but the threat of rising flood waters from Hurricane Florence in some parts of the state are far from over.

We are still two to four days from rivers cresting in North Carolina according to officials from the US Army Corps of Engineers, and there is concern about how thousands of dams in the state will hold up to mounting walls of water.

According to data obtained by the Associated Press, there are 1,445 dams in North Carolina rated as high hazard, which means if the dam fails – it would likely mean deaths. 

The Army Corps of Engineers has dam inspection crews on the ground there looking for problems.

They are particularly worried, right now, about water levels in three North Carolina rivers.

"The Peedee River, the Neuse River, and the Cape Fear River. and we are actively out operating our dams to minimize the water flow down each of those basins. We have flood fighting teams down river helping local communities protect their infrastructure. Really this is a broader effort for us we know these are the impacted zones today. But if you look at the projected path of the storm and the projected rainfall this is really a seven-state effort, " Major General Scott Spellmon from the US Army Corps of Engineers said.

The seven state area includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York. Then the eastern seaboard where the remnants of Florence are expected to go.

Major General Scott Spellmon says the corps was asked to evaluate a trouble spot in the Fayetteville area.

While the Army Corps of Engineers is only in charge of large federal dams they do consult with states, towns, and owners of private dams because they have equipment that can help predict what could happen. 

According to information in the national inventory of dams, 185 dams in North Carolina were rated poor or unsatisfactory in recent inspections.