Worker in critical condition after being crushed by a Gomaco slipform paver on I-15 near Brigham City, Utah

 by Tiffany DeMasters

Updated at 08:22am, October 8, 2016 

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — A construction worker is in critical condition after an industrial accident involving a concrete laying machine (a Gomaco slipform paver) on northbound Interstate 15 Friday afternoon.

Authorities received a call about the accident at about 2:36 p.m., which occurred in the construction zone just south of exit 362. The worker, a 39-year-old man from Layton, was working with the machine and was on the east side working under the machine on an area called Dow Bar Inserter, according to Utah Highway Patrol.

The worker’s job was to make sure the dow rods were properly inserted into the cement as it was laid.

Somehow the Layton man got pinned between the ground and the paver machine, which crushed against him, according to UHP.

The worker was flown to McKay Dee Hospital in critical condition.

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THIS is a Paving Project– The I-15 CORE - Page 1

Provo, Utah – The scope of the I-15 Corridor Expansion Project (I-15 CORE) in the state of Utah is nearly unprecedented because of the size of the project and the short completion deadline. Twenty-four miles (38.6 km) of removal and replacement of Interstate 15 between Lehi and Spanish Fork, widening the number of traveling lanes by two, for up to six lanes in each direction in 35 months. The new 364 lane miles (586 km) of concrete roadway will be slipformed 12 or 12.5 inches (305 or 318 mm) thick for a total of 2.67 million square yards (2,232,460 m2) of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP). All of it slipformed with GOMACO pavers.


The I-15 CORE is the largest construction project the state of Utah has ever undertaken. The only project that can compare was also on the I-15, the I-15 Corridor Reconstruction, in Salt Lake City, which began in 1997. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) project rebuilt 16 miles (25.7 km) of freeway using a design/build approach with a budget of over $1.3 billion and a four and one-half year completion schedule. The project was completed in the summer of 2001, well in advance of the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area. The consortium in charge of the project used all GOMACO pavers to slipform that project.











Fixed-Price/Best-Design Format


Ten years ago, UDOT began the process to reconstruct more of the I-15. They wanted to rebuild an additional 43 miles (69.2 km), starting from where the I-15 Corridor Reconstruction project ended at 123rd South in Salt Lake City going south to the town of Payson. Funding was assigned to the project in 2007.

“Then, like most states, we went through some hard times and the funding for the project was cut from $3.25 billion all the way back to $1.725 billion,” Robert Stewart, Deputy Project Director for the CORE Project, explained. “We were forced into this decision point and had to ask the question, ‘What do we do?’

“We decided to put this project out in a fixed-price/best-design format. Essentially we said, ‘Contractors, here’s the contract amount. You propose to us what you can build for the contract amount of $1.2 billion.’”

It’s the first time UDOT has used the fixed-price/best-design format on one of their projects. They had carefully watched the success of the I-69 Interstate project through St. Louis, Missouri, and determined it would work on the I-15. UDOT created a specific list of “must have” requirements for their project, as well as an additional list of “wants” for the bidding consortiums.

“It’s the first time we’ve done this in Utah... the concept of just putting out a price and having proposers come back to us and tell us the scope,” Stewart said. “We asked for a project completion date for December 2014. And among other things, we specified a 30-year design, and we required the proposers to submit a life-cycle cost analysis. In our goals and values that we provided to the proposers, we emphasized that we preferred concrete. We didn’t require it, but we preferred it.”

DOL: workers hurt on the job are at “great risk of falling into poverty” because state workers’ compensation systems are failing to provide them with adequate benefits.

U.S. Labor Department: States are failing injured workers

10th October 2016 · 0 Comments





By Michael Grabell
ProPublica

A U.S. Department of Labor report released today details the bleak fate facing the nation’s injured workers, noting that those hurt on the job are at “great risk of falling into poverty” because state workers’ compensation systems are failing to provide them with adequate benefits.

The report lays the groundwork for renewed federal oversight of state workers’ comp programs, providing a detailed history of the government’s past efforts to step in when states fell short. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in a statement Tuesday night that he was drafting legislation “to address many of the troubling findings laid out in this report” and hoped to advance it in the next Congress.

The 43-page report was prompted by a letter last fall from 10 prominent lawmakers, including Brown, urging more action to protect injured workers following a ProPublica and NPR series on workers’ comp. The stories found that since 2003, more than 30 states had changed their laws, causing some workers to lose their homes, or be denied surgeries or prosthetic devices their doctors recommended.

The Labor Department’s conclusions echo ProPublica and NPR’s findings that states have decreased benefits, created hurdles to medical care, raised the burden of proof to qualify for help and shifted costs to public programs, such as Social Security Disability Insurance.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the Labor Department, made similar findings last year. But Wednesday’s report underscores the prominence of the issue, as departmental investigations are typically reserved for White House priorities, such as increasing the minimum wage and guaranteeing paid family leave.

The report provides a roadmap of potential actions, but stops short of new policy recommendations in what appears to be a tacit nod to the fact that President Obama’s term is waning and substantial changes must wait for another administration. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who was shortlisted as a potential vice presidential candidate, is expected to hold a top job if Hillary Clinton wins the election next month.

“With this report, we’re sounding an alarm bell,” Perez said in an interview Tuesday. “A critical part of the safety net is being both attacked and eroded in no small measure because there are no federal minimum standards for workers’ compensation.”

“I hope that Congress will step up,” he added. “We have to fix this system.”

Workers’ comp dates back more than a century, with each state having its own system of benefits, insurance rules and courts. Typically, when a worker is injured, employers pay their medical bills, a portion of their lost wages and compensation for any permanent disabilities. In exchange for prompt and certain benefits, workers are barred from suing their employers.

But as ProPublica and NPR found, the benefits can vary drastically, with compensation for an amputated arm ranging from $45,000 to $740,000, even in neighboring states.

The Labor Department report details how states have changed their laws largely in an effort to reduce business costs as they compete for new corporate headquarters, factories and warehouses — a trend the report calls a “race to the bottom.”

It calls for policymakers to explore how to prevent the costs of workplace injuries and illnesses from being transferred to public programs, how to increase the sharing of injury data between insurers and public health researchers, and how to develop programs that help disabled workers return to the job.

Most significantly, it floats the idea of increasing federal oversight of state workers’ comp programs, which could include the appointment of a national commission, federal tracking of state laws and the establishment of minimum standards and penalties if states fail to meet them.

A presidential commission in 1972 came up with 19 guidelines for states to improve their workers’ comp systems and recommended that Congress mandate them if states didn’t act. Many states did, but as political winds shifted in the early 1980s, the threat of federal intervention passed.

The suggestion of increased federal involvement has set off alarm bells in the insurance and employer communities.

“Federal requirements imposed on a national basis would be inconsistent with the state workers’ compensation system, which has been in place for more than 100 years without federal oversight,” wrote Douglas Holmes in a recent blog post. Holmes is president of UWC, a business lobby group focused on unemployment and workers’ comp.

But in its report, the Labor Department notes that as far back as 1939, the agency considered setting guiding principles for workers’ comp as part of its mission. President Harry Truman spoke of promoting standards for state programs while President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s labor secretary sponsored the drafting of model workers’ comp laws.

Such involvement continued through the Ford and Carter administrations but was curtailed during the Reagan era. The Labor Department continued to track states’ compliance with the 1972 commission guidelines until 2004, when budget cuts ended the program.

Courts and lawmakers in several states have moved to restore workers’ comp protections since the ProPublica and NPR series published in 2015. Top courts in Florida and Oklahoma have overturned a number of business-friendly reforms highlighted in the series, including a two-year cap on wage benefits and a provision that allowed Oklahoma businesses to opt out of workers’ comp and write their own plans to care for injured employees. This summer, New Mexico’s Supreme Court granted farmworkers the right to workers’ comp for the first time in 100 years.

In California, the governor last week signed a bill that will reduce the roadblocks for workers to get medical care. And the state’s workers’ comp bureau is in the final stages of writing a new regulation that would allow more severely injured workers to qualify for home health care.

Last year, ProPublica profiled workers who had their home health aides taken away after a new law allowed insurance companies to reevaluate cases based on a more restrictive regulation.

Tree cutting worker in a lift was electrocuted to death after he touched a 7,200 volt power line with a gas-powered pole saw in Warren County

 

By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com
 
on October 09, 2016 at 1:02 PM



A Warren County man who died while cutting tree limbs is believed to have been electrocuted, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities identified the victim as Sean Loprinzi, 48, of the first block of Washington Avenue in Oxford Township.

He was working on the tree limbs at the property of friend Craig Erhard at 41 Snyders Lane in Oxford shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday, said Prosecutor Richard Burke.


A man suffered life-threatening injuries in the accident in Warren County.

Loprenzi was in a lift and touched an electrical wire with a gas-powered pole saw about 20 feet high. The wires were determined to be carrying 7,200 volts, Burke said.

"We assume it was known there were wires," Burke said. "We believe he was trying to stay away from it. We're not sure if there was a slip with the saw."

Rescuers administered CPR at the scene. Washington Township police, as well as the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, were called at 1 p.m.

Loprinzi was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg, where he was pronounced dead at 2:34 p.m. Saturday. An autopsy was conducted Saturday night.

Officials believe Loprinzi died from electrocution, however the autopsy results are pending, Burke said. Test results will determine Loprinzi's exact cause and manner of death.

HURRICANE MATTHEW POST-STORM DEATHS: Daytona Beach boy killed from generator fumes; DeLeon man electrocuted to death from downed power line

Monday, October 10, 2016
 Posted at 11:24 AM Updated at 3:42 PM


 By Lyda Longa



Hurricane Matthew deaths climbed to 3 in Volusia County on Monday, a 9-year-old boy in Daytona Beach and an 89-year-old man.

The Daytona Beach boy became the third casualty Monday morning when he was overcome by the fumes of a generator inside his family's house, police said. Earlier Monday, an 89-year-old man was killed when he touched a downed power line on the west side of the county.


The youngster's family had brought the generator inside their residence, in a back room, at 113 Mason Park Drive, said Daytona Beach Deputy Chief Craig Capri. The boy's parents and his 8-year-old brother also were affected by the generator's fumes, Capri said.

A friend who came to check on the home after the accidental death identified the boy and his family. The boy who died was Jose Barrios, said family friend Janet May. She said parents Pedro and Matilde Hernandez and another son Luis Barrios were being treated at Halifax Health Medical Center.

The children are students at Our Lady of Lourdes school in Daytona Beach.

Capri stressed the danger of bringing a generator indoors.

"Please, please please put generators outside," Capri said. "Carbon monoxide gas is odorless and it can kill you within minutes."

The elderly man killed at 7:58 a.m. was identified as Marshall Bailey of DeLeon Springs, said sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson.

Bailey was killed after touching a downed power line. He was the second person to die in Volusia County in Matthew's aftermath, Davidson said.

The line was live and sparking a small fire on the ground behind Bailey's home in the 6000 block of S.R. 11. The downed power line, yanked to the ground by a falling tree, was reported to the Sheriff’s Office, Davidson said.

Seven minutes later the Sheriff’s Office received a second call, this time reporting that Bailey was lying dead on the ground by the wire with some small flames nearby, Davidson said.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit is investigating and the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause of death, Davidson said.

On Friday, Susan Mathes, 63, of 685 Hazen Road was killed during Hurricane Matthew when she went outside to feed her animals and a tree fell on her, authorities said.

In other developments Monday:

• Roughly 15,000 utility customers had their electricity restored on Monday morning, bringing the total in Volusia and Flagler counties down to 60,514, slightly more than one-third of all outages statewide. At noon, the Governor's press office reported 16,256 outages in Flagler, about 27 percent of the utility customers and about 44,268 outages in Volusia County, about 15 percent of the total customers.
• About 23,070 of Florida Power & Light customers, or 13 percent, have no electricity in Volusia, while Duke reports 18 percent outages, 14,334 customers, and the New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission reports 24 percent outages, or 6,416. An electric cooperative reports 344 customers out in Volusia.
• In Flagler County, FPL has 16,240 customers out, about 27 percent.
• Governor Rick Scott visited Flagler County on Monday morning, taking a look at the 1.3 mile section of State Road A1A where much of the road washed into the sea.
• Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation are putting a plan together and plan to meet with Flagler and Flagler Beach officials again on Thursday. Their initial estimate is that the road could be closed for up to one year and cost up to $35 million to repair.

Over the weekend, damage assessments continue in Volusia and Flagler counties. The Volusia County property appraiser's office announced an initial assessment on Sunday of $150 million.

President Barack Obama approved portions of the state’s request for a major disaster declaration, including assistance to cover debris removal and emergency protective measures.

Streets remain closed in some locations because of widespread tree damage. Debris piles continued to grow amidst the hum of chainsaws as homeowners, government agencies and utility contractors continued the cleanup.

Officials in both counties urged all residents to make safety a priority, including staying out of flood waters, not using water from flooded wells and throwing out food that could be spoiled from freezers and refrigerators without electricity.

Debris left by the surging seas along beaches and in the ocean prompted Flagler County officials to close the beaches until further notice because of the hazardous conditions. Beaches in Volusia County are open to pedestrians, but the county is asking beachgoers to stay out of the water. Wood from damaged piers, metal and wood from dune walkovers and large metal roof pieces have been found in the water.


A high threat of rip currents remains, and the region hasn’t fully escaped Matthew’s clutches.

Remnants of the hurricane out in the Atlantic Ocean, combined with building high pressure in the atmosphere, are creating windy conditions, with gusts up to 25 mph on Monday and Tuesday.

Flagler County officials warned residents to secure tarps covering roofs and storm damage. Steve Garten, public safety emergency manager, advised residents to cover any exposed areas to prevent additional water damage.

The National Weather Service said that wind also is expected to whip up the ocean, imperiling weakened beaches and dunes along the coast.

Schools are scheduled to start in both counties on Wednesday, as the schools work to clean and restore campuses and make sure all schools have electricity.

In Volusia County, one shelter remains open at the First United Methodist Church in DeLand. Forty people are being sheltered.

County officials are working to compile a list of residents who are unable to stay in their homes and ask anyone who can’t do so to call the county’s Citizens Information Center at 866-345-0345.

A Martin County Parks and Recreation Department employee trimming trees was shocked and crtically burned by a power line after his lift touched a power line

Martin County worker cutting trees shocked, burned in Port Salerno

 Laurie K. Blandford , laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com 

4:35 p.m. EDT October 10, 2016



(Photo: PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

MARTIN COUNTY — A Martin County Parks and Recreation Department employee trimming trees Monday morning was shocked and burned by a power line, according to county, sheriff’s and Fire Rescue officials.

Rescue crews went to the 4400 block of Southeast Field Street in New Monrovia Park in Port Salerno and found a 47-year-old man who had been working on a lift had touched a power line and was burned, said Fire Rescue spokesman Dan Harshburger and sheriff’s spokeswoman Laurie Weber.

The man worked for the county and was pruning trees after Hurricane Matthew, said county spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro.

According to the incident’s 911 call, a man called and said the following: “My boss has just been electrocuted. His shirt’s on fire. He’s up in a lift, and I can’t get him down.”

The caller said he couldn’t bring the lift down because he didn’t know how to do so. Yelling could be heard in the background.

The burned employee was flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with traumatic injuries, Harshburger said. The man was conscious and breathing, Weber said.

Buckets packed with fish and formaldehyde leaked in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines flight from Barrow to Fairbanks Friday

Formaldehyde leak in cargo hold of Alaska Airlines flight leaves passengers without luggage

Author: Michelle Theriault Boots
Updated: 18 hours ago


Buckets packed with fish and formaldehyde leaked in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines flight from Barrow to Fairbanks Friday, forcing the airline to hold more than 100 pieces of passenger luggage while they are tested for contamination, a company representative said Sunday.


The chemical spill happened on Flight 55 from Barrow to Fairbanks on Oct. 7, said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Nancy Trott.


A passenger checked two closed buckets "containing fish and formaldehyde" without alerting customer service agents to the hazardous chemical inside, Trott said. It wasn't clear why the fish were in formaldehyde or whether the passenger, who was not named, was aware that it was hazardous.


Some time during the flight, formaldehyde leaked out of at least one bucket, according to the airline. Cargo workers noticed a strong smell when they opened the hold in Fairbanks, Trott said. On Sunday, the exact quantity of the spilled chemical was still being investigated.


Formaldehyde is a strong-smelling chemical that is used as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories, as well as an industrial disinfectant, germicide and fungicide.

There were no pets in the cargo area during the flight.

Alaska Airlines didn't release the other pieces of baggage back to customers, instead hiring a company that specializes in cleaning up hazardous materials to "clean up the spill and test the bags," according to Trott. As of Sunday afternoon, 107 of the 118 bags in the cargo hold had been tested and cleared, she said.

The airline has "reached out to everyone impacted to discuss compensation," Trott said.

Trott said she was not aware of any criminal investigation related to the incident.

Dean Raught and Kyhra Hessel of Des Moines fined $47,500 for 2015 Port Orchard oil spill after the sinking of the former fishing boat Tango at the Port Orchard Railway Marina

Department of Ecology News Release - October 3, 2016
Vessel owners fined $47,500 for 2015 Port Orchard oil spill

PORT ORCHARD – The owners of a 69-foot wooden vessel that sank at its dock and spilled oil into Sinclair Inlet face a $47,500 penalty from the Washington Department of Ecology over the incident.

Ecology issued the fine to Dean Raught and Kyhra Hessel of Des Moines for failing to keep the 58-year-old former fishing boat Tango in suitable repair to remain afloat. It sank at the Port Orchard Railway Marina on Sept. 2, 2015.

Investigators determined that a power cable came loose from an electrical service box on the dock. As a result, six pumps stopped operating that had been keeping the vessel from sinking. A lock to secure plug-ins at the box had not been properly engaged.

"This was a bad ending to a series of problems with the Tango," said Dale Jensen, Ecology's spills program manager. "This boat nearly sank before, and the owners relied on pumps to keep it afloat. We offered to get the fuel pumped off the boat to prevent a pollution incident, but they declined."

An estimated 751 gallons of oil, primarily diesel fuel with lubricating oil, spilled when the Tango sank. Local crews and volunteers used a nearby Ecology spill equipment trailer to place containment boom and other spill response materials around the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard used a federal spill response fund to hire a salvage company to remove any remaining oil. The marina had the vessel patched and re-floated, then towed to a boat yard for demolition.

Most of the spilled fuel was contained within the marina, but a sheen – a surface coating too thin to clean up – extended about a mile into Sinclair Inlet. In the marina, response crews recovered about 618 gallons of the spill, and 30 gallons that was still inside the boat.

Previously, the vessel took on water and nearly sank in March 2014. Responders deployed powerful pumps to avert the sinking. Ecology offered to arrange removal of the Tango’s fuel in June 2015 at no cost, after explaining to Raught and Hessel they could face liability under state law for polluting. The owners declined Ecology’s offer.

Ecology penalties may be appealed to the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.

With the fine, Ecology also is billing Raught and Hessel $1,200 for the state’s costs to respond to the spill and oversee the cleanup. Earlier, the state issued a separate $20,070 assessment for damage the spill caused to the public’s environmental resources, based on the amount spilled and the resources it placed at risk.

THE SWAN SONG OF SAMSUNG: production suspended of the troubled Galaxy Note 7 model amid reports that replacement devices had caught fire.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 crisis deepens with reports of production halt





The decision reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap follows repeated problems with the new device
A Samsung Note 7 handset is pictured next to its charred battery after catching fire during a test at the Applied Energy Hub battery laboratory in Singapore. The company has now suspended production of the phone. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters



Samsung’s smartphone recall crisis has deepened after South Korean media said the tech giant had suspended production of its troubled Galaxy Note 7 model amid reports that replacement devices had caught fire.





Replacement Samsung Note 7 ignites on US flight after smartphone recall


Read more

Citing an unnamed source at a Samsung supplier, the news agency Yonhap said the company on Monday decided to halt production of the smartphone, one of the most advanced and expensive products of its kind on the market.

The unprecedented halt in production is another blow to Samsung, which last month announced the global recall of at least 2.5m Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to faulty batteries that caused some of the phones to emit smoke or catch fire.

Social media images of photographs of charred Note 7 phones have only added to the humiliation felt by Samsung, an iconic South Korean firm that has built a reputation for innovation and quality since entering the consumer electronics market in the late 1960s.


Two US mobile carriers have said they will stop issuing new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after recent reports of replacement devices emitting smoke or bursting into flames.

In one incident, passengers were evacuated from a Southwest Airlines flight in Kentucky earlier this week after a replacement Note 7 started smoldering and making “popping noises” soon after its owner boarded the plane.

AT&T said on Sunday it would stop exchanging new Note 7 smartphones due to reports of fires from replacement devices that Samsung said contained safe batteries.

T-Mobile said it was temporarily halting sales and exchanges of new Note 7s. South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, said it was monitoring the situation, while KT Corp, the country’s No.2 carrier, said it had taken no action on new Note 7 sales or exchanges.

“This measure includes a Samsung plant in Vietnam that is responsible for global shipments (of the Galaxy Note 7),” Yonhap quoted the source as saying.


Samsung has yet to comment on the Yonhap report.

The latest problem with the Note 7 will frustrate Samsung’s attempts to repair its battered reputation and result in severe financial penalties, with some analysts predicting that the worst recall crisis in the firm’s history could cost it US$5bn in revenues.

“I thought the Note 7 matter was coming to an end, but it’s becoming an issue again,” said CJ Heo, a fund manager at Alpha Asset Management. Heo said he expected Samsung to recover from short-term damage to its reputation, but added that the recall crisis would hit fourth-quarter sales of the Note 7.

Despite the recall, Samsung said last week that its third-quarter profit rose 6 percent to about $7bn on total sales of $43.9bn, thanks to income from Samsung’s other products.

The company sold 76m smartphones in the second quarter of 2016, most of them lower-priced models.

10 people in North Carolina have died, 3 people are still missing after massive flooding from Hurricane Matthew breaches dams

Mandatory evacuation ordered for Kinston and parts of Lenoir County





Thousands of people rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Matthew (WTVD)

Updated 3 mins ago
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Governor Pat McCrory said Monday there have been 10 deaths in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew. Three people are still missing - the number is down from five after two people in Fayetteville were accounted for Monday morning. Officials say most of the dead died when rushing flood waters swept their cars off roads.

During a news conference, the governor also said a levee has breached near Lumberton and some 1,500 people are stranded. There are active rescues using helicopters and boats. Mandatory evacuations have also been ordered for Kinston and Lenoir County in low-lying areas along the Neuse River.

Here's what you need to know as of Monday morning:


Evacuations in Lumberton, Princeville, Kinston, Lenoir County and Goldsboro

A boil water advisory has been issued for Fayetteville, Johnston County, Sanford, Lee County, Asbury Water District, Spring Lake, and parts of Wayne County.

10 people in North Carolina have died. Three people are still missing.

3 parts of I-95 remain closed in Fayetteville/Lumberton area due to flooding, 1 part of I-40 near Benson also closed

Eastern towns could experience flooding throughout the week. Kinston expects the worst it's ever seen.

Around 493,081 are without power across the state

Officials are assessing dam overtopping, breaches and failures throughout the state, particularly in Hoke, Moore, and Bladen counties. Levee breached in Lumberton.

McCrory has warned that the dangerous flooding will continue to be an issue this week after Matthew dumped torrents of rain on our state over the weekend - creating the worst flooding since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Due to the number of roads flooded, overflowing waterways and clogged storm drains, the National Weather Center has extended a flood warning for much of the ABC11 viewing area until late tonight.

The governor has stressed that this will be a prolonged event and that many eastern towns should expect flooding throughout the week. Kinston could face the worst flooding it has ever seen, according to McCrory. There were also evacuations in Princeville and voluntary evacuations of low-lying Goldsboro.

McCrory has signed a major disaster declaration.

As of Monday morning, over 493,081 are without power in North Carolina - down from a peak of more than 770,000 homes and businesses on Sunday.

Monday morning update from Duke Energy Spokesman Tom Williams

McCrory said there have been 1,000 swift water rescues since Saturday; 700 rescues were in Cumberland County alone.


The NC Highway Patrol a woman died when a vehicle was swept off Monzingo Road in Pitt County.

In Johnston County, a woman died when the car she was in was swept off Interstate-95 at mile marker 83 near Four Oaks.

Also in Johnston County, Highway Patrol said five people travelling on Cornwallis Road near NC-42 were swept off the roadway. Four of the passengers escaped and were able to cling to nearby trees. The fifth person was carried away and died, troopers said.

McCrory said one person in Sampson County and two people in Bladen County have died as a result of the storm. The first person was killed when their car hydroplaned. The two in Bladen died in a flooded vehicle.

The Harnett County Sheriff says a person drowned after they drove past a barricade near Carolina Drive and was swept away into a creek. Sunday afternoon he was identified as 74-year-old Charles Luther Strickland of Dunn. His body was found in the vehicle after it was pulled from the water.

Another person died in a storm-related fire in Rowan County.

Three people are still missing - one person in Johnston County and two in Fayetteville. Authorities say 43-year-old Boris Abbey and 45-year-old Christy Woods were reported missing related to Matthew.

The Coast Guard rescued 8 people from rooftops Sunday morning in Pinetops. Chopper 11 HD was over the town later in the afternoon and saw much of it completely flooded. A rescue boat was checking for anyone in danger.





Coast Guard rescues Pinetops residents (video courtesy Coast Guard)

The Silver Lake dam breached Sunday morning. Chopper 11 was over the scene to capture footage of the rushing water.





Silver Lake dam breach (Chopper 11 HD)

Woodlake Dam in Moore County is also in danger of breaching, according to county officials. Public Safety instructed those near the dam to evacuate.

Many residents are also dealing with downed trees and power lines.

Rainfall of 5-8 inches fell around the Triangle and 10-15 inches from Fayetteville to Goldsboro.

Multiple counties and municipalities have declared states of emergency.





ABC11 full team coverage from the Triangle area

There have been dozens of water rescues across central and southern North Carolina as roads flood and homes become inundated.

In Wake County, a swift water rescue boat pulled a man from the top of his car after he was stuck in high water near Fuquay-Varina.

Interstate 40 is closed in both directions between I-95 and the NC-242 interchange. I-95 is closed in Cumberland County. Dozens of smaller roads are closed across the region.









ABC11 Eyewitness photo - Athens Drive

ABC11 Meteorologist Don 'Bigweather' Schwenneker said even though it's going to be dry for the week ahead, it's going take time for all this water to move away. "We still have roads underwater and areas where the water is not draining due to debris" Bigweather continued, "If you see water over a roadway, you need to treat it seriously and don't drive through it!"

In Southport residents and businesses owners have boarded up and are ready for Hurricane Matthew.

Flooding is still a concern in the Sandhills. Officials are asking people to stay home if they can and to never drive through water over the road.





North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is also warning residents about scams connected to Matthew.

The Red Cross has shelters open across the state.