Advertisement

Hurricane Irene death toll in North Carolina rises to six

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

North Carolina authorities on Sunday reported two more deaths attributed to Hurricane Irene, bringing the total number killed in the state by the storm to six.

In Ayden, in rural southeastern North Carolina, a man was killed in his home by a falling tree. In Goldsboro, in the eastern part of the state, a child was killed in a traffic collision at a crossroads where the traffic light was off due to a power outage, said Ernie Seneca of the North Carolina Emergency Management Office in Raleigh.

Advertisement

As the state began to assess the damage from the storm, swiftwater rescue teams recovered more than 200 people stranded in their homes by floodwaters, authorities said. At least 76 people were rescued in hard-hit Beaufort County, in eastern North Carolina along the Pamlico Sound. Nine people were rescued by boat in Northampton County near the Virginia border.

PHOTOS: In the path of Irene

State and federal emergency management teams flew over eastern and coastal areas Sunday to take stock of the damage and look for people cut off by flooding. At least 225 roads were closed by floodwaters or debris, Seneca said, and 21 bridges were shut down.

At daybreak Sunday at least 525,000 customers were without power, Seneca said. That number was expected to drop sharply as sunny weather and receding floodwaters allowed power crews to work on downed lines.


View Tropical storms Jose and Irene track forecasts in a larger map

RELATED:

Advertisement

A tree dies in Brooklyn

New York’s Long Island feels Irene’s punch

Hurricane Irene: ‘The worst of the storm has passed’

-- David Zucchino in Nags Head, N.C.

Advertisement