Lumberton, NC —For generations, Alicia Buie’s house in Lumberton was a place of safety, full of cherished family memories. But when Hurricanes Matthew and Florence hit one after the other, she could only watch helplessly as the storms destroyed her home. “We had so much rain, and it caused a lot of flooding,” Alicia recalled. “The roof got messed up real bad, but I didn’t realize how bad it was inside. We had mold all in between the roof and the ceiling. It was a mess.”
Topics Related to Homeowner Recovery Program
Bladen, NC – Rocking gently on the porch of her newly elevated home, Veronica Gillespie breathes in the tranquility that once felt like an impossible dream. For years, every storm brought fear, anxiety, and the threat of losing everything. Now, she finally feels safe.“The water used to come across the highway and flood me out,” she said. “There are vents under the house, so the water goes under and out and back into the canal. No water is going to take Ms. Veronica out anymore.”
Bladen, NC – Karen McElveen still remembers what it felt like looking at the remnants of her home after Hurricane Matthew tore through Bladen County.“All I could think was, ‘How am I going to fix this?’” she recalled. “I was overwhelmed as a single mom with a son about to go to college. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”Karen’s roof was partially blown off. She had water under and in her home. There was also a pile of asbestos in a corner of her living room where the roof had peeled back, causing mold to form.
Evergreen, NC – Ronnie and Estelle Rockwell remember when Hurricanes Matthew and Florence came through Columbus County as if it were yesterday."We got hit back-to-back," Ronnie recalls. "We were without power for seven days and our home flooded. We lost our roof and our water pump.""There's no word to describe what we've been through," said Estelle. "We've lived in this home for over 30 years. We've raised children and grandchildren in this home."
Salemburg, NC – When Hurricane Matthew moved through Sampson County, Barbara Goodman had to leave her home of 60 years and move to higher ground.“The rain was so heavy,” Goodman recalled.“ We were planning to ride it out until the fire department came and told us we had to evacuate.”Goodman and her granddaughter gathered their things and went to a safe location to wait for the storm to pass. When they returned, Goodman couldn’t believe her eyes.
Goldsboro – When Hurricanes Matthew and Florence hit Wayne County, they severely damaged Carol Parker’s home of almost 20 years.“The windows were broken, and there was water damage everywhere,” Carol described. “I felt so overwhelmed.”The single mother of three wasn’t sure how she was going to fix her home, but then one of her coworkers told her about ReBuild NC, and she decided to apply. When she got the call telling her she was eligible for home repairs, she couldn’t believe it.
Fayetteville, NC – When Mark Holman was a young boy, he and his siblings helped their father plant two pecan trees in the yard of their new home. More than 50 years later, strong winds from Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence nearly toppled both of the trees that had provided a lifetime of nourishment and memories.
Shannon, NC – For seven years, Chasity Locklear’s mobile home was where she built treasured memories with her son. That is, until Hurricane Matthew destroyed both her home and sense of security. “It was terrifying. I didn’t know it was that close until the power went out,” she says. “I’d never experienced anything like that. Being without water for weeks, no electricity, trying to find gas and food.”
Windsor, NC – When Hurricane Matthew hit, Patricia Smallwood had lived in the same house for 20 years. Built in 1974, her home held not just her belongings, but also countless memories. By the time the storm subsided, nearly every square inch of her home’s interior had been damaged.“The water came through the roof,” Smallwood recalls. “It ran down the drywall and through the hallway. It was flooded pretty bad.”
Manteo, NC — For 30 years, Coquetta Laverna C. Brooks lived in her house at the highest point of Roanoke Island. “I never dreamed we’d be impacted by flooding from Matthew,” she says. “But water was everywhere. It damaged our ceilings and reached knee-high from the floor.”