Posted on February 19, 2019
Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, on Friday, September 14, then inched its way west into South Carolina as a tropical storm later that day. By Saturday morning, more than a million people were without power across NC and SC. The immense size and slow speed of the storm dropped a record 33.9 inches of rain on areas around the Carolinas over the next few days.
Flooding continued nearly a week later as some rivers had yet to crest, and 750 roads remained closed, including sections of I-40 and other major thoroughfares. Wilmington remained largely waterlocked by the Cape Fear River, thousands of its residents left without power. Meanwhile, the floodwaters swept dangerous bacteria and toxins out to sea, causing several beaches to issue swimming advisories for poor water quality.
All along the Carolinas’ coastlines, unclear timelines in the effort to restore power, water, and other utilities had many property managers unsure of when they could reopen, and, in some cases, if they’d even have rentable properties to return to. News coverage and drone footage of the hardest-hit areas showed roof damage, flattened oceanfront dunes, and splintered decking.
Kure, Wrightsville, and Carolina Beach began recovery slightly faster than Wilmington, and access reopened to the public throughout the week after the storm, but according to many of their updates, property managers were still in the dark.
South of Wilmington, Oak Island Accommodations was among the companies that had to close without any idea of when they could reopen. Its September 19 website update read:
Our entire office building was flooded during Florence and at this time we have less than 10 staff members in the area. There is a shortage of food and gas on Oak Island and surrounding areas, which is also delaying efforts to begin assessing homes.
Source: Coastal News Today
