Some residents of the riverfront city of New Bern, North Carolina, who didn’t evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence were awaiting rescue early Friday, trapped at their homes by the storm’s wind and heavy rains.
About 150 people were waiting to be rescued, the city tweeted. Watercraft manned by two out-of-state Federal Emergency Management Agency teams, the city fire department, and the volunteer Cajun Navy were assisting in moving stranded people to safety.
CrowdSource Rescue, a Twitter account devoted to making sure people reach safety, coordinated with civilian responders and tweeted updates for those who were trapped. The group’s website allows people to file a ticket detailing their location and the help they need.
Currently ~150 awaiting rescue in New Bern. We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. More are on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. #FlorenceNC
“We’ve planned for this,” New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw said. “We knew it was coming, and we’re working very hard to keep our citizens safe. We were able to evacuate quite a few; some did not go.”
Resident Peggy Perry, who awaited rescue, told CNN that her house flooded up to her waist “in a matter of seconds.”
“And we’re stuck in the attic. There’s four of us,” she said. “We’ve been up here for like three or four hours. There’s a little window here that we might have to break up (to get out).”
Hundreds of thousands were without power as of early Friday as the slow-moving storm began lashing the coastal area. As much as three feet of rain and “catastrophic” flooding were expected.
A volunteer from the Civilian Crisis Response Team carries a child out of the floodwaters in James City on Friday.
Rescue personnel remove a man from a home that a large tree fell on that had three people trapped after Hurricane Florence hit the area on Friday.
A father and daughter learn that friends were injured and later died when a tree fell on their house during landfall of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
A fallen tree is shown after it crashed through the home where a woman and her baby were killed in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
High winds and water surround a house as Hurricane Florence hits Swansboro, North Carolina on Friday.
Russ Lewis covers his eyes from a gust of wind and a blast of sand as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach on Friday.
People survey the damage caused by Hurricane Florence on Front Street in downtown New Bern, North Carolina on Friday.
A fallen tree lies atop the crushed roof of a fast food restaurant after the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
High winds and water surround buildings as Hurricane Florence hits Front Street in downtown Swansboro, North Carolina on Friday.
A view looking east down Fifth Street at the flooded downtown area in Washington, North Carolina on Friday.
Residents at Trent Court Apartments wait out the weather as rising waters get closer to their doors in New Bern on Thursday.
A tree uprooted by strong winds lies across a street in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
The roof of a gas station is destroyed from strong winds as Hurricane Florence passes over in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
Vehicles drive through water from the White Oak River flooding Highway 24 as Hurricane Florence hit Swansboro, North Carolina on Friday.
A motorist navigates away from a fallen tree blocking a road after the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
A car is destroyed from falling bricks as Hurricane Florence passes over Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday.
Flood waters rise up from the Neuse River in New Bern, North Carolina on Friday.
Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home in James City on Friday.
Waves slam the Oceana Pier and Pier House Restaurant in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Men pack their belongings after evacuating their house after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded their street during Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, on Thursday.
A pedestrian crosses the street during the heavy rain of outer bands of Hurricane Florence in New Bern on Thursday.
High winds and storm surge from Hurricane Florence hits Swansboro on Friday.
Winds from Hurricane Florence damaged an awning in Myrtle Beach on Friday.
Rescue workers from Township No. 7 Fire Department and volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team use a truck to move people rescued from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence in James City on Friday.
Ocean water rushes down Cape Hatteras Pier Drive in Frisco, North Carolina, as the effects of Hurricane Florence reach the area on Thursday.
Michael Nelson floats in a boat made from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street in New Bern on Thursday.
The outer bands of Hurricane Florence led to flooding in New Bern on Thursday. The full hurricane is expected to arrive on Friday.
Students Samantha Levine, Megan Boles, Aaron Newns, Dana Pawlowski and Isaiah Goham, of East Carolina University's Coastal Storms class, use anemometers to measure wind speeds at Union Point Park in New Bern on Thursday.
Cars go through a flooded street during the heavy rain of outer bands of Hurricane Florence in New Bern on Thursday.
The outer bands of Hurricane Florence hit New Bern on Thursday.
The flooded Union Point Park Complex in New Bern on Thursday.
Ocean water breaches the dune line and rushes down Highway 12 in Frisco on Thursday.
Heavy rain floods a street as the outer bands of Hurricane Florence hit New Bern on Thursday.
A U.S. Army member walks near the flooded Union Point Park Complex as Hurricane Florence comes ashore in New Bern on Thursday.
Water rolls up Atlantic Beach as the outer edges of Hurricane Florence begin to affect the coast on Thursday.
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