From three to six inches of rain fell in parts of Columbus County Wednesday, blocking streets and flooding neighborhoods.
One woman had to be rescued when she drove her car into a flooded area at the south Whiteville Food Lion. Madison Street was blocked shortly after 5 p.m. after another driver turning into the Family Dollar by Soles Swamp went into a ditch.
Several downtown streets were blocked, including Madison between Main and Walter. Cones were eventually extended out to the south end of the downtown area, to prevent wakes created by drivers from further damaging property.
City Emergency Services Director Hal Lowder said the water flowed off quickly, but drivers should never proceed on a flooded roadway.
“We get tired of hearing it, but it’s the truck: turn around, and don’t drown,” he said. “A few inches of water can float a car, and you never know if a street has been washed out. It’s just not worth it.”
Several streets in Chadbourn, including the downtown area, were completely covered as high and above as the gutters. Major ponding was reported on roads from U.S. 701 south of Whiteville to Cerro Gordo.
No injuries were reported. Backyard rain gauges ranged from six inches near Cerro Gordo to three in Whiteville.
Lowder said the proactive drainage work that is still going on in the city helped ease some of the runoff, but nothing could be done about the volume of water in a short period of time.
“The city is a lot better than it was,” he said, “but when there’s that much water that fast, there’s nowhere for it to go.”
