LELAND, N.C. (WECT) - Weeks after Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 flooded parts of Brunswick County, many families say they are still waiting for help. With so much attention being placed on the victims of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, they say they’re worried that people in the Cape Fear will be forgotten about.
“At the end of the day, there weren’t lives lost here,” Jesse Williams, a homeowner in Stoney Creek Plantation said. “At least everybody gets to go home to their families, but I definitely need to make sure that this is pushed out there so that you know, this doesn’t happen to more people… because it will.”
Williams’s home was flooded significantly by PTC 8. He said even with flood insurance, it would likely cost him $80,000 to rebuild. He said this would be easier to stomach if there was financial assistance from the government on the way, but so far they haven’t heard of anything.
“A lot of these people are suffering bad,” Williams said. “You’re talking about people sleeping in homes without kitchens. Some are only one story so they don’t have [working] bathrooms.”
While some have moved back into their flood-damaged homes, there are others who have gotten RVs to live in out in their driveways. Many say they’re still waiting to see if they can get permits to rebuild.
“Some are being told that they may not even be allowed to rebuild their homes at all,” Hunter Gadwill, another homeowner in Stoney Creek Plantation said. “I believe 18 homes were labeled substantially damaged in Stony Creek Plantation.”'
Gadwill says he and other neighbors are concerned about new developments near the neighborhood making flooding issues even worse.
“They’re creating a new development of townhomes which presents not only further possibilities of flooding for us as more drainage routes may be cut off, but it also makes us worried for the new families that may be unaware that they’re moving into a floodplain.”
Gadwill says he hopes the government will step up and make a disaster declaration soon, so they can get financial assistance and speed up the process of rebuilding their lives.
“We appreciate the town’s efforts,” Gadwill said. “We hope that state and federal officials declare PTC 8 as a natural disaster and get us aid similar to what victims of Hurricane Helene and Milton will receive. Don’t forget about what happened in Brunswick County. We faced a natural disaster and there’s no aid from the state or country in sight.”
WECT reached out to the town of Leland to learn how they’re supporting Stoney Creek Plantation residents at this time. They sent us the following statement:
“The Town of Leland has completed initial damage assessments of homes impacted by PTC #8. Letters regarding substantial damage determinations went out to property owners on Friday, Oct. 4. These letters are the first step in the process of determining what path an owner will need to take to repair or modify their home in accordance with the Town’s current flood plain ordinance. Each owner’s situation is unique based upon their property location, elevation, and valuation. Several property owners have responded to the letters and Town staff are actively working to help these impacted individuals navigate the process. Staff are available to meet with any other property owners and representative contractors and surveyors to discuss their options and any other questions they may have.”
As of October 10, Governor Roy Cooper signed the “Disaster Recovery Act of 2024″ lawmakers passed on October 9. It creates a fund for damage done by PTC 8. That law says the general assembly intends to put money in that fund after appropriate damage assessments are completed.
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