Rushing floodwater from heavy rain kills 2 in North Carolina

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SPRING HOPE, N.C. (AP) — Two people were found dead in central North Carolina after they and a police officer trying to save them were swept away in rushing floodwaters, authorities said Wednesday.

Another cluster of storms was dumping rain on the region Thursday, a day after a 24-year-old woman and 55-year-old man were found dead when flooding on a section of highway receded, according to police in the town of Spring Hope.

Some communities had been under flash flood warnings and advisories Wednesday while as much as 5 inches (127 millimeters) of rain fell in parts of the Raleigh and Durham areas.

The woman and man, both from the small town of Louisburg, had been trapped in a vehicle that was pushed into a ditch filled with about 6 feet (1.8 meters) of fast-moving floodwater, police said. The woman was climbing out of the roof when she fell into the water and an officer jumped in to save her, police said.

The strong current swept away the woman, the man and the officer, who escaped unharmed as the two people disappeared. Authorities searched but the two died.

The storm's pathway over central North Carolina follows Tropical Storm Chantal's flooding in parts of the region last month. Public assistance damage estimates are already more than $42 million, according to Gov. Josh Stein’s office. Stein also issued a state disaster declaration Tuesday for eight counties because of Chantal damage, meaning residents can seek out state financial aid.