North Carolina
North Carolina underwater after fifth historic flood in two decades
Coastal regions of North Carolina were still underwater on Tuesday after another historic flood, marking the fifth time in 25 years that residents have faced this kind of weather.
Torrential rains poured into the southeastern part of the state earlier this week, leaving parts of Brunswick County submerged and prompting widespread road closures, including the heavily traveled U.S. Highway 17.
The storm, which unleashed more than 18 inches of rain in just 12 hours on Monday in Carolina Beach, came after the National Hurricane Center issued advisories about the storm on Sunday. The NHC warned of the storm’s “life-threatening” flash flooding impact in a social media post on Monday as meteorologists continued to track the storm, which had a high chance of forming into Tropical Storm Helene, the eighth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
Although it reached tropical storm strength, the storm never attained the necessary structure to be classified as a tropical storm, Dan Brown, the branch chief of the NHC’s hurricane specialist unit, previously told Newsweek.
Still, the storm has continued to leave a devastating impact on the area.
According to Brunswick County emergency officials, emergency crews delivered food and water to those trapped as they waited for the water to rescind. No fatalities have been reported, though local authorities have confirmed significant damage to infrastructure, with many roads washed out or severely compromised.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Wilmington, North Carolina, also commented on the severity of the floodwaters on Monday.
“Roads are flooded at least 3 feet deep in parts of Carolina Beach,” NWS Wilmington posted on X, formerly Twitter, sharing a photo that showed floodwaters rising halfway up a van. “No cars or trucks are designed to safely travel in floodwater this deep. Please stay off the roads.”
Newsweek reached out to Brunswick County emergency officials via email for comment
Meteorologists at NWS Wilmington said Monday’s downpour qualifies as a “1,000-year flood,” a rare event.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office/ AP
This is not the first time this region has faced floods of this magnitude, with past floods from hurricanes Diana (1984), Floyd (1999) and Florence (2018) dumping historic amounts of rain on the same area.
According to Tim Armstrong, a meteorologist with NWS, the recurring disasters, amplified by climate change, are part of a troubling pattern for coastal communities.
He explained that the “warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold,” leading to intensified storms that can unleash massive downpours, even when they’re not powerful hurricanes.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November, has already been highly active. Due to near-record sea surface temperatures, NOAA predicts more storms on the horizon.
While the storm has now moved into southeast Virginia, concerns remain for residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Floodwaters closed the vulnerable North Carolina Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island, and erosion continues to threaten homes in Rodanthe, where sea levels have steadily risen over the past decade.
Armstrong, who previously spoke to Newsweek, said it’ll take time for the floodwaters in Carolina Beach to drain, but calm weather is forecast for the next few days, which will aid in clean-up.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
North Carolina
North Carolina father-to-be saved by quick-thinking pregnant wife after suffering sudden heart attack
A North Carolina man who unknowingly lived with a rare heart condition was saved by his pregnant wife after he suddenly went into cardiac arrest while lounging in bed.
Brandon Whitfield, 39, was already preparing for one drastic lifestyle change when his wife, Angela, became pregnant last spring.
Then, he suffered an unexpected heart attack when she was just nine weeks along.
“I was eating carrot cake in bed watching the hockey playoffs. And mid-conversation, I just started to slump over,” Brandon recounted to WSOC-TV.
Angela didn’t think anything of it for a few seconds, figuring Brandon might just be groggy or joking, but “jumped into action” when she realized “this was an emergency.”
Thankfully, Angela has worked as a physician assistant for more than a decade. She knew what to do instantly and, after calling 911, started to perform CPR on her prone husband.
Angela was shaken in the moments after, though, as she started to rationalize what she’d just had to do.
“You absolutely never ever think you are going to have to do CPR on your spouse,” she told the outlet.
“I thought I may be a widow,” she added.
Brandon was rushed to a nearby Novant Health medical center and, to his horror, diagnosed with a rare heart condition.
“Just because you’re young and you’re fit and you’re relatively healthy doesn’t mean that heart disease can’t happen to you,” Brandon told the outlet.
Brandon was quick to laud his wife with praise.
“It was nothing short of a miracle. Everything lined up for her to be there. It was not my time,” he said.
In the wake of his shocking diagnosis, Brandon had to adopt a Mediterranean diet and is trying to be “more mindful” about what he eats — which means no more carrot cake.
After his brush with death, the dad-to-be implored others who may be taking their lives for granted to make sure they don’t leave anything unsaid, just in case their final days are nearer than they think.
“If you can do something today, do it today. If you can tell your family you love them, do it,” he said.
North Carolina
How to buy tickets for Duke basketball vs NC State in ACC contest
It’s Duke basketball against N.C. State at the Lenovo Center on Monday, March 2.
The top-ranked Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1 ACC) and head coach Jon Scheyer are set to take on the Wolfpack (19-10, 10-6) and first year head coach Will Wade at 7 p.m. on ESPN in Raleigh.
Duke is coming off its sixth-straight win, a 77-51 rout over Virginia at Cameron Indoor Stadium. N.C. State, which has lost four of its last five, is coming off a 96-90 road loss in overtime to Notre Dame. The Blue Devils sit atop conference standings while the Wolfpack rank sixth in the league.
The Blue Devils own the all-time series against the Wolfpack 83-52 and sit at 27-27 on the road at the Lenovo Center. Duke has won six out of its last four contests against N.C. State.
Here’s how to buy tickets for Duke basketball vs. N.C. State:
Duke basketball tickets vs NC State
Duke has established a ticket waitlist program for men’s basketball games. Fans can register for the waitlist at GoDuke.com. Those on the waiting list may have the opportunity to purchase tickets, when and if tickets become available. Iron Dukes members have the first opportunity to purchase available tickets.
As for the secondary market, ticket prices for Duke’s game vs. N.C. State start at $72 on StubHub and go upwards of $712. On VividSeats, tickets range from $62-$1,156 while ranging from $63-$432 on Ticketmaster.
To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub.
What time is Duke vs NC State?
Date: Monday, March 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Duke basketball game vs. N.C. State game tips off at 7 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Where to watch Duke vs NC State
TV Channel: ESPN
Stream: Fubo
The Duke vs. N.C. State game will air on ESPN and can be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
North Carolina
4 Best Quotes Into North Carolina-Virginia Tech Matchup
The North Carolina Tar Heels host the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night at the Dean E. Smith Center in a monumental game for head coach Hubert Davis and his team. Here are quotes from this week that carry weight into this contest.
Seth Trimble’s Aggressive Mindset
- “The thing that I loved about him was he was thinking attack. He wasn’t coming off looking to pass,” Davis said. “One of the things that I’ve told him is when you come off a ball screen, you’re 100% thinking score, and then let the defense dictate whether you make a pass or you go to the basket. And Seth’s ability to be able to get downhill, he was able to score, draw fouls, just a huge difference maker for us.”
- “And I feel like now that Caleb [Wilson] has been out, he’s definitely been more of the go-to guy, and he’s had a lot more opportunities,” Henri Veesaar said. “I feel like he flipped a switch in the second half of Syracuse and that kind of just carried over, because he started being more aggressive, getting downhill, and that carried over into the next game.”
- “The coaches have been on me,” Trimble said. “I know I said it; I’ve said this over and over again, but they’ve been on me just to go and just finish, you know, coming off the ball screen, go, look to score, you know, don’t look to pass. Don’t look to make a play. Go to score. And then things are going to happen from that. And then I’m going to be able to kick out, going to be able to hit Henri [Veesaar].”
Defensive Fortitude
- “We were ready – just being ready on the defensive end and making them score over us,” Veesaar said. “I feel like on the defensive end most of the time, most of the games, we control the way we play, and as long as we don’t make any [mistakes]…today we were talking, communicating the whole game. So that was really good.”
- “It was a huge point to try and slow down Mikel [Brown Jr.] and [Ryan] Conwell,” Trimble said. “They’re two incredible guards, two of the best guards in the ACC. So, if you can shut them down, you can put yourself in a good position to win. Now, we didn’t necessarily shut them down, obviously, but efficiency wise, they didn’t have the best game, and it made it difficult. So, I think we did a good job.”
- “[With] so many gifted guys that can score in many different areas, one of the things that we wanted to do is just make every catch, make every move, make every shot difficult,” Davis continued. “And I just felt like throughout the game, they got worn down and tired. And I think that’s why a lot of their threes hit front rim or air ball, because of the fatigue.”
To keep up with North Carolina’s fast-paced news, click right HERE! Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!
Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Tar Heels when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts5 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO5 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers