ROCKINGHAM — Showers that swept through North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday dumped lots of rain across the state.
In Richmond County, interim Emergency Services Director Bob Smith said 11 roads were closed due to flooding, mostly in the northern part of the county, which received more rain.
Smith said the rain gauge at the Emergency Services Complex in Rockingham collected 4.16 inches in 24 hours.
Joyce Lambeth reported 5.6 inches in Derby and Lee Berry said he recorded 5.5 inches in Ellerbe.
The largest amounts of rain appear to have been along the Interstate-95 corridor, with more than nearly 10 inches in the Wilson area and more than eight inches north of Rocky Mount, according to radar estimates by the National Weather Service.
The N.C. Department of Transportation reported late Thursday that more than 230 state-maintained roads had to be closed, including several sections of I-95 and Interstate-77 and Interstate-85.
Two bridges in Iredell County were completely washed out and three more sustained structural damage, according to NCDOT.
Many roads were still at least partially closed across the state on Friday, according to DriveNC.gov. All roads in Richmond County appear to be clear.
One television news crew had a close call while covering the flooding.
FOX 46 reporter Amber Roberts and photojournalist Jonathan Monté were standing on the Hiddenite Bridge in Alexander County when a section of the bridge collapsed while they were doing a live shot.
According to news reports, at least three people died, and one adult and infant are still missing after a campground in Alexander County flooded. More than 30 people had to be rescued.
An 11-year-old in Rolesville, just northeast of Raleigh, was also found dead in a creek, according to news reports.
