Crabtree Creek overflows onto greenway, road buckles in Fuquay-Varina

Monday night storms prompted numerous flooded roads, storm damage and water rescues across central North Carolina.

Posted 2:32 a.m. Sep 1, 2020 — Updated 2:36 p.m. Sep 1, 2020

WRAL Severe Weather Center

RALEIGH, N.C. — Heavy rain Monday night prompted numerous flooded roads, storm damage and water rescues across central North Carolina.

WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said the rain had stopped or was slowing down Tuesday morning, and road conditions should be improving.

Buckled road, crashes and flooding

In Fuquay-Varina in Harnett County, heavy rain caused the street to buckle at Purfoy Road and Chalybeate Springs Road. Viewers sent WRAL raw video of a large hole in the road.

The National Weather Service reported flash flooding along Crabtree Creek near Hodges Street, Wake Forest Road and Atlantic Avenue with roads closed and vehicles stranded. The gauge on Crabtree Creek at Old Wake Forest Road rose to 15 feet, where water spilled onto the greenway that runners, bikers and walkers use for exercise. Pieces of asphalt broke off the road and fell into the creek.

On Interstate 40 at Lake Wheeler Road, a tractor-trailer slid down an embankment around 10 p.m. Monday after hydroplaning.

Firefighters said the tractor-trailer hydroplaned, knocking a guard rail out, hitting a metal pole and then falling 40 to 50 feet off the embankment. After getting the driver out of the tractor-trailer, firefighters said they found a passenger car that was face down in the creek.

Firefighters said it took about 15 minutes to get the driver of that car out. Both drivers were taken to the hospital. Rescue officials had to clean up gas that was leaking from the truck so it wouldn't spill into the creek.

Another driver’s car got stuck in floodwaters along Martin Street in Raleigh.

"I was coming around here, there's no flood warning signs or anything, and of course, I wasn't even thinking about that and all of a sudden woop and just started floating along," said driver Travis Wisk.

Firefighters came to rescue Wisk. "The engine just crapped out, so I was like, 'Alright, I guess I got to get on top of the car now," he described.

WRAL's Rosalia Fodera saw two people pushing a car after it got stuck in floodwaters at the intersection of Millbrook Road and Leesville Road in Raleigh.

Water rescues in Johnston County

Interstate 95 was closed in Four Oaks where multiple cars were stranded in high water between Exit 93 (Brogden Road) to Exit 87 (Keen Road), where the road was impassable. There were reports of at least seven water rescues there.

A woman told WRAL News her sister-in-law and two young children, ages 4 and 5, were in a car believed to have been swept off the road by floodwaters into a creek south of Smithfield. At least two swift water rescue teams responded to the Town Commons Boat Ramp near Market Street and Front Street. At 6 a.m., the mother had been rescued, but the children were still missing.

In Johnston County, four people were trapped in their car on Sanders Road when floodwaters rose quickly on Monday night. Officials confirmed a mother and child and two other people were stranded on Sanders Road.

Clayton Swift Water Rescue, Johnston County Swift Water Rescue and Raleigh Swift Water Rescue responded, and all four people were rescued by 10 p.m.