Neuse River flooding in Goldsboro rivals high water seen after Floyd

Matthew dumped 14 to 18 inches of rain on the Goldsboro area on Saturday, and many officials are forecasting flooding along the Neuse River to rival the high water seen after Hurricane Floyd in 1999. That has prompted school closings and calls for evacuations days before the river crests in Goldsboro and Kinston.

Water levels in the Neuse normally sit below 17 feet at Goldsboro, and minor flooding begins at 18 feet. The river was at 29.04 feet on Tuesday, and officials expected the river to crest overnight.

"We had the first water rescue on Saturday morning," said Goldsboro Fire Chief Gary Whaley. "Saturday was bad. It was the worst I've seen in 34 years. On Sunday, we tried to do some pre evacuations because we knew the water was coming up."

By Tuesday, some people could not get to their homes or to church.

"I didn't think it would come this far," said Johnny Bryant, a Goldsboro resident.

Gerald Carter is from New Jersey. He said the flooding was new to him, but he knew it was serious.

"I could see when it was raining - I've done construction all my life - and I could see the church was built on real low ground,"Carter said. "I figured the water would come up here, but I didn't think it would look like this."