Carolina Beach flooding | New Hanover County begins cleanup after storm ‘worse than Florence’

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (WTVD) — It’s described as an event that happens only once every thousand years. According to rainfall totals, New Hanover County received 18.32 inches of rain from Monday midnight to Monday afternoon.

“It just came down unbelievably fast,” said resident and business owner Jeff Clemens. “It was way worse than Florence.”

Clemens owns a business on the boardwalk and spent part of the day assessing the damage in town.

“It was terrible. I’ve never seen it like this,” he said.

New Hanover County is under a state of emergency as towns such as Carolina Beach and Kure Beach are repairing the damage that the unnamed storm brought onshore.

According to Carolina Beach Mayor Lynn Barbee, there were 115 rescues on Monday. Fourteen were animal rescues. Barbee said town officials would review the damage assessments to determine what steps would be taken for cleanup. Barbee said a decision on debris cleanup will be made Tuesday evening or Wednesday once the extent of the damage is known.

ALSO SEE | Scattered rain, isolated storms Tuesday as low moves into western NC

On Tuesday, local municipalities also met with Gov. Roy Cooper’s office to assess the need for state assistance.

“Yesterday’s weather system reinforces why we prepare for the worst impacts of a storm and do not focus on the category or whether it is a named system,” said Cooper in a news release. “As we move into today, please be safe as there are many roadways impacted and unsafe conditions persisting around the state. Check on your neighbors, do not drive through flooded areas, and do not let your guard down, as additional rainfall is expected through the afternoon.”

Meanwhile, Carolina Beach resident Mike Bahr had his garage flooded. Bahr and his wife relocated from New Jersey to Carolina Beach several years ago.

The pair spent their day assessing what items were salvageable and which articles would have to be thrown out.

“”Basically we just pulled everything out so we can just kind of clean up. Anything that I want to spray for mold,” Bahr said. He pointed at the water line in his garage to distinguish the difference between Monday and Tuesday. “I measured that. It was 15 inches.”

ALSO SEE | Man fishing in NC rescued an hour after falling out of boat 30 miles from shore