Cape Fear River to crest just shy of flood stage

A swollen Cape Fear River overwhelmed the pylons at the Campbellton Boat Landing on Tuesday and lapped at the stage of the nearby amphitheater. Still, the National Weather Service forecast called for the river to crest at 33 feet by Thursday night, short of the 35-foot flood stage.

Emergency officials said they plan to monitor all Cumberland County waterways over the next few days.

Cross Creek near Festival Park chugged along at a good clip Tuesday, but it hadn't spilled over onto nearby streets, as it often does after heavy rains. Most of the other tributaries of the Cape Fear River also remained in their banks.

On Rockfish Road in Hope Mills, police had to direct traffic through high water near Camden Road.

"I've never seen it this bad, and I just hope it doesn't rise up too bad to where it (comes) into my house," resident Katrice Winston said, noting the water was ankle-deep in her yard.

Hector Cruz, the public works director in Hope Mills, said Rockfish Road isn't a low-lying area prone to flooding, but the water has nowhere to go because the ground is so saturated after weeks of rainy weather.

"This is the worst it's been probably in a few years," Cruz said. "Some of the guys that have been here eight, nine years haven't seen it this bad."

By Tuesday afternoon, the water in Hope Mills began to go down.