Spring Lake firefighters and rescue crews had to evacuate residents of the Heritage Village apartment complex Tuesday. Because of days of rain, the little river was still flooding communities.  

The urban search-and-rescue team from NYC is in various parts of North Carolina and helped to evacuate numerous people in the area as well. 

"People of North Carolina are very appreciative of us being here," said FDNY Captain Michael Smithwick of NY Task Force 1. "And that's our job. That's what we do. We like to help people and represent New York City."

Because of the massive amount of water, a part of the Starlight Motel in Spring Lake caved in, according to officials.  

Erik Hooks, the state's secretary of public safety, says he has been touring devastated areas nonstop. Local leaders have told him they want to make sure they will get the support and funding they need to rebuild and recover. 

"The daunting challenges of water, which we have learned over the last couple of years, present even more significant challenges than any wind and hurricane initial surge is left with communities, and so we want to meet all those challenges," Hooks said.

In the town of Linden in Cumberland County, the floodwaters inched closer to U.S. 401. Many people drove for hours trying to get around because so many roads are closed.  

Although the rivers are continuing to rise in some areas, the mayor and residents of Spring Lake say there is some good news: the river that has covered I-87 is going down.

"I have seen other places and other locations that have been hit and hit hard. And it takes time to recover," said Larry Dobbins, the mayor of Spring Lake. "This is the hardest this town has been hit absolutely.”

Officials say when the scores of roads and bridges that have been closed are reopened, they need to be inspected for safety before vehicles are allowed to travel on them.