WILMINGTON — As the people of the Cape Fear Region still come to terms with Hurricane Florence’s widespread impact — from initial damages when it hit the coast, to the flooding that came afterward, and long-term struggles with displacement and re-building — we’ll take you back to the weeks surrounding the storm.
Our second photo series takes an in-depth look into a flooded neighborhood on the Black River, residents returning to Carolina Beach, and the floodwaters from the Waccamaw River making its way through southern Brunswick County.
The photos span a four-day period between Monday, Sep. 17 and Thursday, Sep. 20, during the week after Florence made landfall.
RELATED: Florence in Review, Part One: The hurricane approaches, makes landfall
Charter boat captain Dave Tilley arrived at 5:45 a.m. Monday morning to claim first spot in a long line of vehicles waiting to pass through the police barricade onto Snow Cut’s Bridge and return to their homes in Carolina Beach. Tilley knew he’d have to pump water from the first floor and begin clean-up.
“The bait freezer has been without power for five days. You can imagine what it smells like now,” Tilley said.
Later, rescue teams from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office traveled in the Waccamaw River floodplain by armored vehicle and airboat, where roads looked like rivers and homes had been abandoned.
“I was working for the Sheriff’s Office back in Floyd and it wasn’t this bad,” Lieutenant Israel West said during a drive-through over Kingtown Road, a route that’s now underwater. “I mean, this is biblical.”
Take a look at Part Two: Evacuees return, inland flooding intensifies, below.
