HURRICANE FLORENCE: SIX MONTHS LATER
Gone are the piles of mud-coated debris that choked neighborhood streets, and the sickening stench that clung to the air long after the brown floodwaters retreated.
But for hundreds, if not thousands of families in Cumberland, Robeson and other North Carolina counties, the misery from Hurricane Florence is still very much here.
Millions of dollars in federal aid have yet to reach flood victims.
Why? State leaders blame federal bureaucracy, but a federal agency says North Carolina is moving too slowly.
Meanwhile, homeowners from Spring Lake to Lumberton still are living with relatives or in rentals as they slowly rebuild; some have drained their savings or maxed out credit cards to pay for repairs.
The historic flood is long gone, but its crippling blow to the finances and the future of its victims is far from over.
Since Hurricane Florence, homeowners have struggled financially and emotionally to rebuild
SPRING LAKE
The walls are still gutted inside Regina and Lloyd Evans' home, where the water reached 6 feet, 3 inches high.
They lost nearly everything — furniture, appliances, a piano, both cars, and a prized Honda Goldwing motorcycle in the garage.
“When my husband finally got that garage door open,” his wife recalled, “my heart was broken. The bike was twisted. You could see the rising water marks on the car and the truck.″
Since Hurricane Florence in September, the Evanses and other homeowners have struggled — financially and emotionally — to rebuild their homes and their lives. Life has seemed to carry on for everyone else, but not for flood victims in devastated pockets of Cumberland and Robeson counties.
As of last month, only one of the Evanses' displaced neighbors in Bragg Estates, off Vass Road, had returned to their home. Lloyd and Regina Evans continue to rent a place in Spring Lake, about 3 miles from their home. Two young granddaughters live with them.
Federal agencies estimated total damage of $124,000 to their home of 13 years — a total loss, Regina Evans said. CLICK TO READ FULL STORY
Still waiting: Federal dollars slow to reach hurricane victims
Helen Mouton and her Fayetteville neighbors are still waiting on federal money to buy out or elevate their flooded homes.
Not from the Hurricane Florence disaster six months ago, but from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
With so many flood victims still waiting for Matthew aid, things aren't looking good for the thousands of North Carolinians who remain in limbo since Florence's September deluge. The pattern of bureaucracy and blame that came after Matthew is reemerging with the Florence recovery.
Before Matthew, Mouton's home on Louise Circle in Hollywood Heights was paid off. The flood forced her to rent an apartment and storage as she continues to wait for federal hazard mitigation grant money to buy out her home. She's now living with her sister.
“It's affecting me because I'd have money to do other things instead of paying rent, but my daughter, bless her heart, she just gave me her car," she said. CLICK TO READ FULL STORY
Allocation of Florence aid
Here's how much Hurricane Florence aid has already been allocated for North Carolina, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency:
• $100 million in public assistance approved for state and local governments. The money helps reimburse costs of debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent repairs to infrastructure.
• $128.3 million in FEMA grants for 34,563 homeowners and renters
• $395.4 million in U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans
• $593.1 million through the National Flood Insurance Program
First Matthew, now Florence. A Robeson County family decides enough is enough
MAXTON
Tim Locklear II had to rebuild his flooded home on Old Landing Road in the months following Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Nearly two years later, it happened again during Hurricane Florence.
“I like it here,″ he said of his place in rural Robeson County, “but the river likes me too much.″
Construction on Locklear's gutted home, which is no more than 100 feet from a bend in the Lumber River, has stalled. He is waiting on word of a federal hazard mitigation grant, which could provide a buyout or raising the home’s elevation.
But the 44-year-old who runs a jewelry business in Pembroke doesn't know what he's going to do. He ponders the possibility of putting the house on the market as-is.
The family, he figured, will probably relocate after this latest hurricane disaster. CLICK TO READ FULL STORY
A family of five has lived in hotel rooms since Florence
Over the last six months, Mary Dupree and her family have shuttled between hotels and motels at least a half-dozen times.
Last week, the five family members were staying in a room with two beds at the Ambassador Inn on Eastern Boulevard.
Life has been this way since Hurricane Florence collapsed the ceiling of their rental in Hollywood Heights.
"The hardest part is finding the money to pay for the room. That's been the biggest struggle," said Mary Dupree, the 50-year-old head of the family. "Getting money for the room, getting money for food. We feel if the boys here have, we're OK. And I feel if the girls have, I'm OK."
She misses having kitchen space to store groceries and prepare meals. Their motel room is equipped with a microwave oven and a small refrigerator.
The family has been living at the Ambassador since late October, their second stay at the inn since Florence. They've also spent time at the Comfort Inn, Candlewood Suites, Mt. Rose Hotel and the Red Roof Inn & Suites. CLICK TO READ FULL STORY
