Severe flooding in North Carolina has killed two people. The flooding is the worst in the state in several decades.
Two people have drowned as a result of the flooding. The body of a man, 48-year-old Juan Alberdi was discovered on Sunday after he was swept away while swimming in a creek in western North Carolina. The body of Delilah Lovett, 10, was found on Saturday evening after she was dragged away by the swift currents about an hour before. Both had been swimming in Wilson's Creek in Caldwell County around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, CNN reports.
"They got caught in the real swift currents up here and disappeared," said LouAnne Kincaid, a spokeswoman for Caldwell County according to UPI.
The drowning occurred after four inches of rain fell in North Carolina's Piedmont region, over the course of five hours. Officials declared a state of emergency in Catawba County following the flooding. First responders were busy rescuing people all weekend and dozens of roads were closed on Saturday due to major flooding.
Wilson's Creek rose two feet above normal levels due to the flooding and created swift currents.
The drownings happened after 4 inches of rain fell over five hours in North Carolina's Piedmont region, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency in Catawba County.
According to Catawba County officials, there were at least 10 swiftwater rescues for residents who needed to escape their homes or vehicles on Saturday. Roughly 52 roads were closed in the inland. Some of those roads might be closed for as long as three months.
Lincoln County, just south of Catawba County and about 35 miles northwest of Charlotte, received about eight to 10 inches of rain in 12 hours. First responders in that county had to rescue at least five people by Saturday afternoon, but the amount of rescues dropped as the water receded.
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