Tropical Storm Elsa brings heavy rain, flooding to Triangle

Across the Triangle, the impacts of Tropical Storm Elsa were felt as the storm passed through the state on Thursday.

The rain was often heavy in Raleigh on Thursday morning. As rain washed over the city, it collected in low-lying areas, including Walnut Creek, where a nearby trail was swallowed by water.

A bridge near the creek is the only way out for people who live on the other side. A day before Elsa came to North Carolina, Jeffrey Sanders checked out the creek beneath the bridge.

"This looks rough," he told WRAL News.

On Thursday, Sanders again checked the rising water.

"If it continues to rain, y'all will not be able to get back here," said Sanders.

A street over, on Dacian Road, a manhole cover could not hold the water back any longer. It started overflowing with rain water.

On Glen Eden Drive, a tree took down an entire power line pole with it.

Line workers were seen working on getting the lines out from across the street.

According to Duke Energy's power outage map, around 50 people were without power from the pole snapping in half.

Traffic was the other problem across Raleigh. During heavy rain, cars collided on N.C. Highway 540, near Knightdale Boulevard.

In Durham, a tree smashed into a van near Erwin and Morreene roads. The driver of the van was not injured in the incident.

The driver said he was driving when he heard and felt a massive boom onto his car.

The driver's supervisor said that while he is the most cautious driver, some things can't be avoided. It's the kind of incident that makes Durham drivers very aware of their surroundings.

"I'm very nervous. We haven't had a storm in a while and now, it's just like tornadoes everywhere. It's very scary," said

Meanwhile, in the northern part of Durham County, two single-car accident occurred about 100 yards apart.

Deputies said the trucks hydroplaned and slid off the road. One person had minor injuries from the crash.

All of the impacts from Elsa in Durham County are being watched closely at the Emergency Operations Center.

"We've seen localized flooding, pooling in the roadway, a couple trees down and some power outages," said Emergency Services Director Jim Groves.

Groves said Durham County is operating the center at the lowest risk revel, but they are all together and ready if needed.

"Having the team in here as the storm comes through helps us be very proactive on anything that might occur," he said.