‘People feel forgotten’: Families still wait for help weeks after Potential Tropical Cyclone 8

LELAND, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – Weeks after Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 flooded parts of southeastern North Carolina, many families say they are stuck waiting for help.

With so much attention being placed on the victims of Hurricane Helene and Milton, some residents are worried families in need of help will be forgotten about.

“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,” resident Jesse Williams said.

Williams’ home was flooded during the storm, but even with insurance, it will 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, explaining that some families are living without working bathrooms.

While some have moved back into their flood-damaged homes, others have gotten RVs to live 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,” resident Hunter Gadwill said.

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 said.

Gadwill 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.

The Town of Leland released the following statement in regard to how it’s supporting the area:

“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.”

Governor Roy Cooper signed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024, and lawmakers passed it on Wednesday.

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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