Local Flooding Has Triangle Residents Wet

But because the rain lasted so long, people in a lot of flooded neighborhoods are concerned it will take a long time for the water to recede.

As night fell and the rain subsided, the remnants of Dennis could still be seen lurking in many neighborhoods.

Residents say the storm was no Hurricane Fran, but it did leave a few trees in its wake.

"I heard a big thunder clap like, sounded like a truck trying to drive down the side of my house, and then a big bang," said resident Tommy Mills.

When Crabtree Creek filled rapidly threatening to overflow its banks, employees at the nearby Sears put up flood gates to keep the water out.

But there was nothing that could keep the water out of the Butler Road area in Durham.

The only way to get in and out of the neighborhood is by walking through standing water or with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Many people here are trapped in their homes. Others who left early this morning cannot get back to their homes.

"We'll just have tough it out you know," said George Gullie

Gullie is used to Butler Road flooding during big storms. But it's always a big inconvenience, he said.

"About 10:30 it started running over the road," Gullie said. "It's been getting worse. Now it's subsided a little bit."

"Just because the storm is passed doesn't mean we're out of the woods -- that's a poor phrase there -- but it's not completely safe yet," said Tom Hegele, North Carolina Emergency Management Spokesman.

Emergency managers say they will be traveling around the state this week assessing damage, with the coastal areas taking priority because they were hardest hit.

The Raleigh Police have a command post setup to deal with flooding problems, but they say conditions were looking good. The water is subsiding and they do not anticipate any big problems during the night.