As Tropical Storm Ophelia continues to move along the East Coast, a North Carolina dog was killed by a police officer after being tied to a fence in the storm’s rising floodwaters and “nearly drowning,” according to local law enforcement. rescued. Saturday.
Greenville Police Department (GPD) Officer Benjamin Schultz rescued the small pit bull from flooding on Dunbrook Drive in Greenville, which is about 90 miles inland from Pitt County. Greenville was inundated by flooding from Ophelia, with videos posted on social media showing the extent of the flooding across the city.
Video footage shared by GPD on its Facebook page showed the dog tied to a fence as floodwaters reached knee-deep. It also shows Schultz unhooking the dog and carrying it through floodwaters.
Ophelia began forming as a cyclone over the Atlantic Ocean earlier this week and is expected to bring a month’s worth of rain to parts of the eastern United States. The storm made landfall in the Emerald Isle area of North Carolina at around 6:15 a.m. ET on Saturday. In response to the storm’s strong winds and severe flooding, North Carolina declared a state of emergency, as did Maryland and Virginia.
Greenville, North Carolina Police Department
The police department called Schultz a “real-life hero” for wading into flooding to save the puppy, but GPD added in its Facebook post that if a “good Samaritan” hadn’t called to report the situation , the dog would not have survived. .
“Thanks to the good Samaritan for calling! Without you he wouldn’t be alive,” GPD wrote.
Meanwhile, GPD told Weekly newspaper Schultz posted on Facebook on Saturday that he declined to be interviewed, citing an ongoing investigation by the department’s Animal Care Services division.
Police added that the dog was now “unharmed.”
“Fortunately, he was not injured due to good Samaritans who quickly notified police,” the police department said. Weekly newspaper. “Our Animal Care Services department is conducting a follow-up investigation to determine more about the dog’s condition and living conditions at the home. They will pursue any applicable charges.”
Ophelia brought sustained winds of about 70 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Although the storm has weakened, forecasters still urge people to remain cautious.
GPD wrote in a separate Facebook post that many roads in Greenville were closed Saturday due to flooding and asked people to stay off the roads.
Video shared to X (formerly Twitter) showed flooding across the city.
In a video shared by AccuWeather storm tracker Aaron Rigsby, vehicles can be seen partially submerged in a flooded parking lot.
“A major flash flooding event is underway in Greenville, North Carolina,” Rigsby posted. “Multiple vehicles traveled considerable distances and the entire parking lot was flooded with cars #NCwx #Ophelia”
Ophelia’s current track shows the storm continuing through coastal North Carolina and then through Virginia. It is expected to move into parts of Maryland and Delaware. Parts of New York and New Jersey are also expected to see heavy rainfall from Ophelia. By Sunday evening, Ophelia is expected to fly over southern New Jersey before returning to the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Weekly newspaper Contact National Weather Service Service via email Saturday evening for the latest updates on Ophelia’s track and forecast.
