
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Port City Daily is counting down the top 10 stories that were read in 2024, as assessed by analytics.
READ MORE: No. 5 Most Read Story of 2024: Two productions roll cameras in greater Wilmington area
Coming in fourth: an unnamed storm that swept through the southeastern coast of North Carolina a week before Helene devastated the western region, leaving many people stranded.
National Weather Service called it a one-and-1,000-year event, in that it dumped upward of 20 inches of water in some regions in less than 24 hours.
In Brunswick County, it left many people stranded along U.S. 17 trying to get home in the midst of Potential Tropical Cyclone Number 8’s arrival. Rescues had to be made and roads collapsed.
Erica Mee, a nurse for Brunswick County Department of Health and Human Services, was in standstill traffic for six hours. Mee said she didn’t have an issue getting into work from Leland, 25 miles away, despite heavy rain. After wrapping up appointments with her patients, she was able to hit the road by 11:30 a.m. and the entire government complex was flooded.
Once she got onto U.S. 17, she could travel 5 miles north before having to make a U-turn due to floods preventing cars from passing. At U.S. 17 and Galloway Road, Mee came to a stop until midnight.
“I was safe,” she said, “but I was literally stranded with nowhere to go. … I would have never left work had I known how bad the roads were going to be. I did not know it until I was out there — and it literally deteriorated so fast.”
On Pleasure Island, three couples vacationing became condo-bound after Carolina Beach also received severe flooding 2 and 3 miles north and south of Carolina Beach Lake. With few provisions left and no way to exit, as chest-deep water surrounded the condo, Burlington resident Joy Hollo said their three cars were a total loss due. Water reached the door handles.
“It just happened so fast,” Hollo said. “There’s sheds floating around. There’s benches from the park across the street that had picnic tables. They all floated away. I mean, it’s just crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Read more from the September report below:
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