Rain, wind, floods, even fire from Hurricane Matthew in NC

Hurricane Matthew, although a Category 1 storm, spread misery from Myrtle Beach to the middle of the Tar Heel State Saturday. Winds whipped at speeds of up to 65 mph and more than a foot of rain fell in some places, especially in and around Fayetteville.

Thousands of people across the state sought shelter, and hundreds of thousands were without power where high winds downed trees and power lines.

Although clearing skies are in the forecast, it will likely be mid-morning Sunday before utilities can evaluated conditions and begin to restore power.

The building at 49th Avenue North was fully engulfed, but firefighters were not able to get to it because the wind was too strong.

The Rolesville mayor said Duke Energy would have to survey downed power lines from above, and that helicopters would not be able to fly until at least Sunday morning, leaving residents there without power over night.

Fred Winner, shelter manager, said that the 81 people who sought refuge there were safe and planned to stay through the night.

"The city is under water," it said. "Every officer in the city is on a weather-related call. Officers can’t respond to anything else at this time. Please, please, please stay home. It is unsafe to be out."

Winds were gusting to about 33 mph in Raleigh and almost double that in Wilmington.

Fayetteville has recorded almost 15 inches of rainfall over the past 48 hours.

Customers of Fayetteville's Public Works Commission water supply were urged to boil water before using it for drinking, brushing teeth and washing dishes. Water main breaks and power loss at PWC's main plant led to low-pressure in the system, which could introduce bacteria.

High winds through the overnight hours continue the threat that trees, rooted in saturated soil, will blow over, knocking out power.

Customers of PWC in Cumberland County were without water after flooding Saturday night. The utility said it was working to restore service.

Sampson and Wayne counties added curfews beginning at 6 p.m. to one already starting at 7 p.m. in Cumberland County. Only law enforcement officers, employees working in an official capacity or those providing a necessary service are allowed on the roads during those hours.

In Fayetteville, authorities posted a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to keep people indoors as they wait for high water to recede. Fayetteville has received almost a foot and a half of rain over the past 24 hours.

At 5 p.m., the Category 1 storm had sustained winds of about 75 mph as it moves east-northeast at 13 mph. The center of circulation sits about 138 miles south of Raleigh, and the storm is expected to hug the coast of North Carolina throughout the evening on Saturday.

The following highways are shut down:

Aaron Lakes residents who live downstream are encouraged to evacuate to the South View High School shelter. Other shelters in Fayetteville are at the Smith Recreation Center and Spring Lake Recreation Center.

Pets will be allowed, officials said, but owners should bring crates, leashes and food for animals.

More than 100,000 people in Wake County are without power, and almost 280,000 Duke Energy customers are without power in North Carolina.

Fayetteville authorities have conducted 50 water rescues on Saturday, and 32 people are in shelters as of 3:30 p.m.

Butner Road at Wilson Park, Normandy and Rhine, Knox and Honeycutt, Honeycutt between the ACP at Bragg Blvd. and the housing area (main post side), Macomb and Souter, Normandy and Reilly and Yorktown Victor and McRidge.

Manchester Access Control Point and Reilly ACP are now closed. All other ACPs remain open for normal operating hours.

More than a dozen areas in Raleigh are dealing with street flooding, including New Bern Avenue at Raleigh Boulevard, Glenwood Avenue at Wade Avenue, Tryon Road at Durham Drive and Atlantic Avenue at Ridgeway Court.

Multiple traffic lights are also out across parts of the city.

Two people died when their car stalled in floodwaters and washed into a Bladen County creek, and a third died in Sampson County, McCrory said. The names of those killed have not been released.

McCrory says rivers across the state will crest in the next two to three days, making dangerous, life-threatening flooding a risk even after Matthew pulls offshore.

More than 200,000 people are without power in the state, McCrory said.

"This is a very serious and deadly storm," McCrory said. "We do not want you to be driving."

In a video posted on Facebook Saturday afternoon, emergency officials can be scene pulling someone off the rooftop of a car near Highway 87.

Three people were inside the car when it stalled, and one made it out OK, officials said. No information about the identity of those in the car has been released.

At 2 p.m., the National Weather Service said the storm has sustained winds of about 75 mph. Matthew is moving northeast of 12 mph, and the center of circulation is about 145 miles south of Raleigh.

The storm is expected to hug the coast Saturday evening and night as it continues to drop heavy rain on all of central and eastern North Carolina.

The warning includes Wake and Durham counties.

Crabtree Valley Mall officials also announced that the mall will close at 1:30 p.m. as a precaution.

WRAL reporter Emmy Victor captured a photo of the scene.

Rainfall amounts have reached 2 to 3 inches per hour in some parts, forecasters said.

Road washouts and dam failures are possible Saturday afternoon, and wind gusts of up to 50 mph will continue to down trees and tree limbs.

Officials say people in their homes should stay there if possible.

In South Carolina, at least 73,000 people are without power.

Widespread flooding is being reported across areas from the Triangle south and east, especially in Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson and Wayne counties.

Mark Frederick sent WRAL News a photo of a rain gauge from his yard in Wendell showing 7 inches of rain had fallen as of 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s important to communicate with friends and family during a major storm such as this,” McCrory said in a statement. “People can lose contact with one another during a disaster and that can be stressful for loved ones. Knowing which options are best for you and your family is part of good storm preparation strategy.”

Emergency management officials say that communicating via SMS text messaging makes sense because non-essential calls often shutdown wireless phone service and prevent 911 calls from getting through and emergency personnel from being able to communicate with each other.

Hyde County officials and the NCDOT will work together to expeditiously restore services and visitor access to Ocracoke Island as the conditions permit, officials said.

Heavy rain bands have been moving through the region most of the morning, and it will continue through the evening.

Gardner said parts of Fayetteville have seen 7 to 8 inches of rain already.

Cross Creek has overrun its banks at Festival Park in Fayetteville, N.C.

Emergency officials are urging residents to avoid travel if possible and not to drive through flooded roads.

WRAL reporter Adam Owens captured a rare scene in Myrtle Beach. where Ocean Boulevard is deserted.

The Cup race will start at 12 p.m. on Sunday and air on both NBC and NBC Sports Network. The Xfinity Series race will begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and air on NBCSN.

Fayetteville officials said crews are responding to reports of downed trees and flooding throughout the city.

The governor said Saturday that people are receiving emails stating that they have an update on power outages. Haley said the email provides a link to get the update.

The governor said those who click on the link have opened their computer to hackers.

Haley says it's important for people to be sure they recognize the sender of emails before opening them. She says those from unknown senders should be deleted.

The storm was barely a hurricane at the 11 a.m. update, with winds of about 75 mph.

The storm was moving northeast at 12 mph and is expected to hug the coast of South Carolina and southern North Carolina throughout the day on Saturday.

Emergency service crews are beginning to respond to a number of downed trees and power outages in and around Fayetteville, officials said, and there are sporadic outages being reported.

Residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas have been asked to voluntarily evacuate.

Shelters are open at the following locations: South View High School, Smith Recreation Facility and Spring Lake Recreation Center.

Southern Harnett County, Hoke, Cumberland and Sampson counties are at a higher risk of flooding from the heavy rains. Bragg Boulevard and Manchester Road are prone to flooding as the Littler River crests, forecasters said.

Department of Transportation officials said drivers should avoid those areas.

WRAL meteorologist Mike Moss said several parts of Hoke and Cumberland counties have seen between 3 and 4 inches of rain already as Matthew's heavy rain bands move into the southeastern part of the state.

"The real concern for us are several rivers, the cresting of these rivers," McCrory said of the flood risk.

McCrory said Matthew could end up generating the worst flooding in our state since Hurricane Floyd moved through the state in 1999.

“If it can cause damage to structures, it can cause damage to human life, and it’s not something to be played around with," McCrory said.

The state has 180 National Guard troops available to respond to Matthew and 68 high-water vehicles.

Matthew weakened to a Category 1 storm Saturday morning as it continued its slow trek up the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina. The storm has sustained winds of 85 mph and is moving northeast at 12 mph.

The state Transportation Department said in a news release that the last ferry on that route was schedule to leave Ocracoke at 8 a.m. Saturday.

So far, state ferries have evacuated more than 1,300 people from Ocracoke on its Hatteras, Cedar Island, and Swan Quarter routes.

Nine people came to three emergency shelters opened in Cumberland County, officials said.

More outages and potentially life-threatening flooding is likely on Saturday as heavy rain falls across the state.