In short, yes.
Being so close to the coast will always bring about a risk of flooding, especially if there’s a hurricane or an especially high tide. Heavy rains can bring floods into Wilmington and the Southeastern North Carolina region several times a year.
Michael Carapolo, the meteorologist in charge at the Wilmington office of the National Weather Service has some advice to stay safe during floods.
Carapolo said not to drive across flooded roads. There will always be a risk in driving across roadways during excessive rainfall, not the least of which is the road being washed out, or collapsing due to structural failure.
“Depending on the conditions, floodwaters can pick up a car or at very least, cause you to lose control of your vehicle,” said Carapolo. “Unless it’s essential that you go somewhere during flood conditions, just try to wait it out.”
Another bit of insight that Carapolo had was to use common sense.
“If there’s a sign that says to use a detour or to not pass a certain point, please don’t disregard it. It’s there for a reason,” he explains. “This is one of the biggest issues that we see during times of flooding: people don’t follow our advice and end up getting hurt. It’s a tragedy that could have been prevented.”
Date posted: July 28, 2016
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