Florence Flooding Breaches Makeshift Levee Reinforcement In North Carolina

Chris D'Angelo and Doha Madani
Updated

LUMBERTON, North Carolina — In the days before Hurricane Florence struck, officials and residents here scrambled in an effort to minimize the impact of flooding that the massive storm would bring.

They used sandbags to plug a gap in the levee on the southwest side of town. And on Sunday, crews with bulldozers worked frantically to reinforce the temporary berm in hopes of holding back the floodwaters. It was here that waters from Hurricane Matthew entered town in 2016, devastating entire neighborhoods.

The makeshift wall ultimately could not withstand the powerful rains that have been unleashed by Florence, now a tropical depression. Emily Jones, a spokeswoman for Robeson County, confirmed that the barrier broke around 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The levee remains intact.

Jones stressed that residents in low-lying areas “need to get out now.” A mandatory evacuation order is in place for the south part of town.

At the city water plant, which lies just east of the levee gap, Lumberton’s public works department used excavators in the days before Florence hit the coast to construct a giant berm around the facility’s water pumps and backup generators. The infrastructure was inundated during Matthew, and it took weeks and around $2 million to get the plant back online, according to Corey Walters, the deputy director of public works for the city of Lumberton.

“We’re throwing everything we got at it,” he said of Florence on Thursday.

“Matthew was only two years ago. It’s still very fresh in everybody’s mind,” he added. “We’re still trying to get over it. That’s just what is horrible about the whole thing.”

Workers with Duke Energy move through Lumberton, North Carolina, by boat in attempts to restore power to customers on Sunday after intense flooding in the town. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)
Workers with Duke Energy move through Lumberton, North Carolina, by boat in attempts to restore power to customers on Sunday after intense flooding in the town. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

The Lumber River crested at more than 24 feet during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, highest in history according to the National Weather Service. Water flowed through an underpass beneath the I-95 highway during that storm and caused catastrophic flooding that displaced more than 1,500 residents for months.

About 27.8 percent of county’s residents lived under the poverty line in 2017, more than twice the U.S. Census Bureau’s national rate of 13.4 percent. Lumberton residents in the low-lying areas surrounding the river ― the most likely to lose their homes ― are in one of the poorest communities in Robeson County.

Jeff Wade moved to Lumberton from Lynchburg, Virginia, in February 2017 to help with Hurricane Matthew recovery and has been helping to rebuild dozens of homes flooded during Matthew.

“I worry that Florence may be more than people can handle,” Wade told HuffPost on Thursday.

Lisa Hardin’s home is located on the bank of the Lumber River, among the flood-damaged homes on the south end of Lumberton. It took Hardin nearly two years after the devastation of Matthew to rebuild her life, she told HuffPost on Thursday ahead of Florence’s landfall.

“Leave it in the Lord’s hands,” she said. “Pray about it. That’s all I can do.”

Related Coverage

North Carolina Towns Still Recovering From Hurricane Matthew Brace For Florence

Hurricane Florence Breaks North Carolina Rainfall Record: Reports

'New Norm': A Town That Florence Is Flooding Was Last Underwater Just 2 Years Ago

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Part of a dock remains inside of a house as people clean their properties after the pass of Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina.
Part of a dock remains inside of a house as people clean their properties after the pass of Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina.
A man removes debris and items from a house in New Bern.
A man removes debris and items from a house in New Bern.
A damaged gas station is reflected in a puddle in Wilmington, North Carolina.
A damaged gas station is reflected in a puddle in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Vehicles wait to refuel at a Costco Wholesale Corp. gas station in Wilmington.
Vehicles wait to refuel at a Costco Wholesale Corp. gas station in Wilmington.
A car drives down a flooded road in Leland, North Carolina.
A car drives down a flooded road in Leland, North Carolina.
After just rebuilding her home from the floods of 2016, Willie Allen watches the water rise from her porch in Lumberton, North Carolina.
After just rebuilding her home from the floods of 2016, Willie Allen watches the water rise from her porch in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Doug Erickson begins the task of cleaning the large fallen pecan tree in front of the CW Worth House in Wilmington.
Doug Erickson begins the task of cleaning the large fallen pecan tree in front of the CW Worth House in Wilmington.
A local business is flooded in Wilmington.
A local business is flooded in Wilmington.
Letisha Barton asks Coast Guard Officer David Kelley about her home in the flood waters in Lumberton.
Letisha Barton asks Coast Guard Officer David Kelley about her home in the flood waters in Lumberton.
Obrad Gavrilovic peers out the window of his flooded home while considering whether to leave with his wife and pets, as waters rise in Bolivia, North Carolina.
Obrad Gavrilovic peers out the window of his flooded home while considering whether to leave with his wife and pets, as waters rise in Bolivia, North Carolina.
Susan Hedgpeth hugs her dog Cooper, as they go to higher ground via the United States Coast Guard in Lumberton.
Susan Hedgpeth hugs her dog Cooper, as they go to higher ground via the United States Coast Guard in Lumberton.
A cross is seen in flood water at a cemetery in Grifton, North Carolina.
A cross is seen in flood water at a cemetery in Grifton, North Carolina.
Flooding is seen near Interstate Highway 95 in Lumberton.
Flooding is seen near Interstate Highway 95 in Lumberton.
More flooding near Interstate Highway 95 in Lumberton.
More flooding near Interstate Highway 95 in Lumberton.
The courtyard at Queen's Point condos is filled with residents' belongings after the storm in New Bern.
The courtyard at Queen's Point condos is filled with residents' belongings after the storm in New Bern.
Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home in Wilmington.
Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home in Wilmington.
A destroyed wall in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
A destroyed wall in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church's steeple lies on the ground next to the church in Winnabow, North Carolina.
Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church's steeple lies on the ground next to the church in Winnabow, North Carolina.
Flood waters cover a golf club near Wallace, North Carolina.
Flood waters cover a golf club near Wallace, North Carolina.
A damaged house is seen in Winnabow.
A damaged house is seen in Winnabow.
A truck goes through a flooded street during the Duplin County, North Carolina.
A truck goes through a flooded street during the Duplin County, North Carolina.
A fallen tree lies in front of a house in Wilmington.
A fallen tree lies in front of a house in Wilmington.
A downed tree rests on a building in Wilmington.
A downed tree rests on a building in Wilmington.
An abandoned car's hazard lights continue to flash as it sits submerged in rising floodwaters in Wilmington.
An abandoned car's hazard lights continue to flash as it sits submerged in rising floodwaters in Wilmington.
Boats pushed away from the dock in New Bern.
Boats pushed away from the dock in New Bern.
A downed tree rests on a house in Wilson, North Carolina.
A downed tree rests on a house in Wilson, North Carolina.
A car is seen in a flooded parking lot outside New Bern Mall in New Bern.
A car is seen in a flooded parking lot outside New Bern Mall in New Bern.
A downed tree in Wilmington.
A downed tree in Wilmington.
Rescue workers from New York rescue a man from flooding in River Bend, North Carolina.
Rescue workers from New York rescue a man from flooding in River Bend, North Carolina.
Boone County Fire Rescuers check for occupants in a home surrounded by floodwaters in Bolivia.
Boone County Fire Rescuers check for occupants in a home surrounded by floodwaters in Bolivia.
A man walks through flooded streets in New Bern.
A man walks through flooded streets in New Bern.
Russ Lewis covers his eyes from a gust of wind and a blast of sand as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach. 
Russ Lewis covers his eyes from a gust of wind and a blast of sand as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach. 
Flooded streets in Wilmington.
Flooded streets in Wilmington.
Water from the Neuse River floods houses in New Bern.
Water from the Neuse River floods houses in New Bern.
People move a wood and metal structure off a roadway after winds blew it off a sales lot in Florence, South Carolina.
People move a wood and metal structure off a roadway after winds blew it off a sales lot in Florence, South Carolina.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.