More than a week after Hurricane Florence devastated North Carolina, "treacherous" floodwaters still persist in the state, its Governor said, impacting travel with continued roads and Interstates closures.
UPDATE as of Monday morning: I 95 has reopened throughout North Carolina. Interstate 40 portions remained closed. See here the latest from NCDOT. You can also read more about the latest detour routes and closures as of Monday here.
Gov. Roy Cooper said this weekend that nine of North Carolina's river gauges are a major flood stage and that four others are at a moderate stage. He also advised that key travel routes, notably Interstates 95 and 40, will be impacted for days more, according to the Associated Press.
"Hurricane Florence has deeply wounded our state, wounds that will not fade soon as the flood waters finally recede," Cooper said.
Parts of I 95 and I 40 remained closed due to flooding in southeastern and south-central North Carolina, causing motorists to utilize detours.
Where is I 95 closed and where is I 40 closed in North Carolina?
The latest Interstates closure update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation this weekend notes that " I-95 remains closed from US 64 (Exit 138) to South Carolina while I-40 remains closed from NC 41 (Exit 385) to Wilmington."
Also, NCDOT on Saturday (9/22/2018) advised "motorists not to travel in these counties due to flooding and roads and bridges that have been washed out: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Jones, Lenoir, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, and southeastern Wayne (south of 70 Business and east of US 117)."
For the I 95 closure, NCDOT recommends the following detours:
- Southbound: US 64 west (Exit 138) to I-40 west to US 1 south to US 15/501 south in Aberdeen to US 74 east back to I-95
- Northbound: US 74 west (Exit 13) to US 15/501 north to US 1 north to I-40 east to US 64 east to I-95
If travel to south east points is unavoidable, NCDOT recommends US 264 to
- Kinston: take NC 11 South in Greenville
- New Bern: take US 17 South in Washington
- Havelock and Morehead City: take US 17 in Washington to New Bern, then take US 70 East
Travel to Wilmington is now possible via several routes, NCDOT said Saturday. You can find those routes here.
South Carolina also has ordered more evacuations as rivers continue to rise in the aftermath of a storm that has claimed at least 43 lives since slamming into the coast more than a week ago, according to the Associated Press.
The small farming community of Nichols, South Carolina, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the coast, was completely inundated by water, Mayor Lawson Batter said Saturday, the AP reported. He called the situation "worse than Matthew," the 2016 hurricane that destroyed almost 90 percent of the town's 261 homes.
Battle said flooding from Florence has wiped out the 150 or so homes rebuilt afterward, according to the AP.
"It's just a mess," Battle told the news agency, who was awaiting a visit from Gov. Henry McMaster. "We will try everything we can to come back ... but we need to have federal and state help."
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