ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — The Carolinas have shifted into assess and recovery mode after Florence barreled through, triggering flooding and the closing of roads and bridges across the two states.
An official who covers Mecklenburg, Union, Anson, Stanly and Cabarrus counties with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said as of Wednesday morning there are still a little over 50 roads closed in the area.
Authorities said they are still assessing the damage and are unsure when all of the roads will reopen.
NCDOT officials said they are focusing on the main roads first. They said Anson and Union counties were the hardest hit so they will focus as many resources as possible into those two counties.
In most areas, the rushing water has receded.
However, in places like Mayesville Road in Anson County, streets are shut down because of serious damage
"During the height of the storm, this was submerged by several feet of water,” Timothy Anderson, with the NCDOT, said about Mayesville Road.
Seventeen teams are out assessing the roadways and damage so that the repair crews can do their work.
Most counties have been assessed, but they've only completed 20 percent of Anson and Union counties.
Channel 9 asked when everything would be fixed. Because not all roadways have been assessed, officials don't know yet, but said it will take several months before they are all repaired.
“If we need to do emergency protective measures to the roadway to get it open and then come back and do a major repair later, we'll do that,” Anderson said. “We're not going to open anything until it's safe for the traveling public."
One of the most important things NCDOT officials stressed that if there's a barrier, don’t pass it and don't move it, even if the road looks safe.
NCDOT has its own crews and other contractors working on all the repairs, and they are bringing in crews from other counties without damage to help.
Deputies from across the foothills are headed to the North Carolina coast to help with recovery efforts.
More than two dozen deputies from Caldwell, Catawba and Avery counties left around 5 a.m. Wednesday for Morehead City, while five deputies from Alexander County are already south of Wilmington.
The officers will be helping with security for supplies arriving in Eastern North Carolina.
CLICK the video above to learn more about NCDOT efforts to reopen closed roads from Hurricane Florence.
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