A Flash Flood Watch is in effect until 5:00 a.m. Tuesday for the following counties: Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Orange, Sampson, Scotland, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, Wilson.
Emergency crews have been keeping an eye on things, but they are not worried about the storm. The only houses that were damaged were the ones that had already been damaged by Hurricane Floyd.
"Most of those houses were affected by Floyd and are vacant at this time due to the buyout program. There are no residents that would live in any immediate area that could flood," says Mel Powers of Wayne County Emergency Management.
The threat of the heavy rain was scary for residents who remembered the damage Hurricane Floyd caused one year ago.
"It was a horrible experience. I was cold and I was scared to death," says Nashville resident Sallie Perry. "People just don't understand until they go through it."
The biggest danger is on the highways where water is covering the roads. Two people in one car died Monday after hydroplaning east of Goldsboro.State Highway Patroltroopers say the water on the roads is almost impossible to see.
"A good rule of thumb is that if it is a 55-mph zone, slow down to 45," says Sgt. Jerry Maxwell. "You might not get there in the length of time that you wanted to, but you will get there a whole lot safer."
Residents at Wrightsville Beach were also spared from the severe weather. There were wind gusts of up to 30 mph and rough seas, but the rainfall was measured at less than two inches.
For Donald Lee's roadside grape stand, a tent is all that is needed to handle the rain in the area.
"It's no big deal. It's just a little rain," Lee says.
Residents Down East are relieved to see that as far as wind goes, Gordon was a no-show.
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