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Important Notice - State of Emergency!

EDGECOMBE COUNTY
PRESS RELEASE

Experiencing Flooding in Low-lying areas; Tar River Expected to Crest at Minor Flood Stage Saturday


Tarboro, NC - April 28, 2017 10:00 a.m.:  Due to the ongoing localized flooding in our area, Edgecombe County is still in a declared State of Emergency and several roads are still impassable. The Tar River continues to rise at a slow pace. As of the time of the press release, the National Weather Service reports the river is expected to crest at approximately 8 a.m. Monday morning, May 1st at 28.5 feet at the Tarboro “Town Bridge” river gauge. This is an increase of 2.6 feet from yesterday’s projection.  Major flood stage at this location is 32 feet.

Late Thursday evening county officials discovered that one of the water control gates at the Princeville dike was allowing a very small amount of water to come through the dike. Officials have placed a barricade in front of the gate to slow down the flow and are pumping water from this spot back into the river at the same rate that it is flowing through the gate. At this time there is no water entering the town of Princeville.

The Emergency Shelter at 500 Davis Street in Tarboro is currently closed. Staff is on standby to reopen the shelter at a moment’s notice.  

To receive the fastest emergency information please sign up for the county’s CODE RED alert system at http://www.edgecombecountync.gov/ on the right hand side of the page you will see a link labeled code red. Click on that link and follow the instructions provided.

As of this press release, the following state roads are closed:

NC 97 East of Rocky Mount
  • Dunbar Road, East of Rocky Mount
  • Leggett Road, East of Rocky Mount
  • Spring Field Road, East of Rocky Mount
  • Cox Avenue, East of Rocky Mount
  • Gay Road, East of Rocky Mount

As waterways continue to both rise and lower in different areas, road conditions are subject to change. For regular updates on road closings, go to https://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/.  Please remember to not drive through standing water. “Turn around, don’t drown!”

Because the river is expected to continue to rise through Monday, Edgecombe County officials are asking all property owners to monitor the situation closely and to make necessary provisions for possible flooding, especially those in areas recently impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Flood projections may change, so residents in low-lying areas should remain on alert. 

Any major updates will be posted on the county’s website at www.edgecombecountync.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/edgecombecountync as well as through every available media outlet. You may also call our Emergency Operations Center line at (252) 824-0108.


 

Media Contact:  William Johnson, Assistant County Manager (252) 641-4742 – wjohnson@edgecombeco.com 

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