State of Emergency declared for coastal counties: Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 dumps at least 20 inches of rain on Carolina Beach
While Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 moved off the Carolina coast on Tuesday, the clean up is only just beginning. For some people, it’s impossible to leave their neighborhoods, and the process of draining water from their homes is slow and difficult. Monday was a WRAL Weather Alert Day because Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 brought heavy rain, strong winds and the risk of tornadoes, flooding and power outages to North Carolina. Southeastern North Carolina was hit the hardest, especially the coastal communities that make up much of the area. The most significant impacts from PTC 8 were felt during the second half of Monday – particularly along the coast. Carolina Beach received more than 20 inches of rain since Sunday night, resulting in life-threatening flooding. It’s being called an extremely rare 1,000-year flood. Flood watches and flash flood warnings were issued for several counties Monday until Tuesday morning. They have expired and the waters are receding, but you’ll still want to watch out for flooded roads and standing water. On Monday afternoon, winds reached speeds up to 30 mph, saturating the ground and bringing down trees. There were thousands of power outages in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday morning. Tuesday just before 2 a.m., the press received reports of a downed tree on Whitman Road in Raleigh. “It’s a constant challenge with Mother Nature,” said Jeff Brooks, Duke Energy spokesperson. “Soggy ground makes it even harder to prevent outages caused by falling trees, but we’re doing everything we can to minimize disruptions.” Duke Energy is keeping its current teams on standby and is prepared to deploy them to critical areas if needed. Although summer is winding down, the peak of tropical storm season is just beginning.
Wednesday was National Cheeseburger Day
Wednesday was National Cheeseburger Day, with some of the biggest chains offering some much-needed discounts amid consumer complaints about rising prices. McDonald’s, the biggest company, is selling 50-cent double cheeseburgers when they’re ordered in its app – about 45 cents more than what the chain’s original hamburger cost in 1948. It’s part of the company’s string of deals to kickstart slumping sales, including recently extending its popular $5 value meal until December. Fast food has been a low-profit margin business with little customer loyalty. Chains have been unveiling big giveaways, typically tied to their mobile apps, to help drive business and develop more repeat customers. Still, customers have turned their backs on fast food companies, shifting to casual dining chains like Applebee’s and Chili’s, which many customers believe offer more value. So deals are particularly crucial to fast food companies at the moment to lure customers back.
Woman whose firm was linked to the exploding pagers is under Hungarian protection, her mother says
The woman whose company was linked to thousands of pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria this week is under the protection of the Hungarian secret services, her mother told The Associated Press on Friday. Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono has not appeared publicly since the deadly simultaneous attack that targeted Hezbollah on Tuesday and that has been widely blamed on Israel. She is listed as the CEO of Budapest-based BAC Consulting, which the Taiwanese trademark holder of the pagers said was responsible for the manufacture of the devices. Her mother, Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono, told the AP that her daughter had received unspecified threats and “is currently in a safe place protected by the Hungarian secret services.” The “Hungarian secret services advised her not to talk to media,” she said by phone from Sicily. Hungary’s national security authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the AP could not independently verify the claim. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
