North Carolina's raging rivers from storm Florence test beefed-up defences

A flooded street is seen after the passage of tropical storm Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, U.S., September 16, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Reuters) - Deadly storm Florence's historic rainfall is testing the best efforts by many North Carolina cities to bolster their defences against flooding since Hurricane Matthew inundated the eastern part of the state two years ago.

Since Matthew, firefighters have been trained in rapid water rescue and are equipped with inflatable boats used to pluck people from raging rivers and streams. More dams have been built on many of the rivers that snake through the state, and improved forecasting tools have made it easier to position rescue teams.