Steve Camlin knew Monday’s near-tropical system was going to be bad when he saw snapping turtles going for higher ground.
“The incidents started after lunch,” he said. “It was raining so hard the turtles were evacuating – we’re talking about the big snapping turtles, daring anyone to mess with them.”
Camlin is chief of Acme Delco Riegelwood Fire Rescue. He said flooding began around the Dynocams business on U.S. 74 just after lunchtime, and continued well into the night and the next day. ADR performed multiple water rescues during the recent visit by Hurricane Debby, but Monday’s storm was just as busy, if not moreso.
The tropical system elongated and split near the latitude of the state line, with a smaller low pressure cell developing and heading straight into North Carolina with heavy rains and high winds. Flooding began early on in Brunswick and New Hanover counties, and waters began to rise rapidly about mid-morning in Columbus, especially in the east end.
A home near Dynocams has flooded “numerous times” since the 1990s, Camlin said, as storms have become more severe. Monday storm also caused some property damage at Dynocams.
“A propane storage tank was reported floating down the highway,” Camlin said. Westbound lanes of U.S.74 were closed as water reached knee deep. Chief Deputy Jerome McMillian of the sheriff’s office and several deputies were at the CCSO East End satellite office, and helped block off the road. Traffic was sent down Moneyhole and Sandpit roads, back to General Howe Highway (N.C. 11) and over to U.S. 74.
The detour was just the first of multiple emergency reroutes in the ADR area.
After sceuring the highway, Camlin said calls began coming in from Swimming Hole and Water Tank, on down to Delco Prosper—some of the most floodprone areas in the district.
“The road collapsed in the 6000 block of Livingston Chapel Road,” Camlin said, and “several spots on Water Tank were overwhelmed.
“Houses on Water Tank that flooded during Florence, Floyd and Matthew were damaged. Byrdville Freeman Road became impassable.”
Some families had to be evacuated to relatives’ homes in the Byrdville area, Camlin said. Firefighters had to use side roads as the main route became blocked with water and traffic. Lakeside and Waccamaw roads flooded in Riegelwood, further damaging at least one home that was flooded during Hurricane Debby.
ADR’s Station 2 was being isolated by floodwaters, and the department used a five ton truck from their fleet along with one from Brunswick County Station 3 to deploy a boat team to the affected area.
“Woodyard Road was overwhelmed with floodwaters,” he said, where a truck was swept away with a couple and their dog inside. (See related story on their rescue). “They got out and escaped any injury, other than losing their vehicle.”
While water was rising on the southern side of the district, canals and creeks toward the Cape Fear River were also rising. Fertilizer and Neil’s Eddy roads, which are popular with both residents and commuters passing through the area, went underwater, leading to more traffic congestion as the rain continued falling. Boat crews had to assist several motorists there, as they did during Hurricane Debby’s flooding.
On the Brunswick side of ADR’s district, N.C. 87 South and U.S. 74 East were inundated when Sandy Creek overflowed its banks.
“This caused concerns for EMS transportation,” Camlin said.
ADR recently began serving the East Arcadia community of Bladen County. Crews were called to evacuate a family from a home on Kennedy Store Road, and responded when a nine-foot culvert overflowed onto Lock and Dam Road.
Boat crews stationed out of the Delco Post Office and deployed as necessary, Camlin said.
“As things started to simmer down,” he said, “the crews were diverted to the main (ADR) station in Riegelwood.”
As more and more roads were shut down due to rising waters, Camlin said stranded motorists holed up where they could to wait for developments.
“We hosted a Novant nurse who was traveling home from Wilmington,” he said. The nurse rested or a while at ADR Station 1 before heading for home. The nurse later let firefighters know she made it safely.
As the flooding increased, motorists were released to go home before it got any worse. Camlin said many residents drove through water that was too deep for their vehicles, requiring more rescues. Firefighters and boat crews who were on roving patrols were sent to assist those stranded motorists.
“Past experience has taught us to monitor the roads in our vehicles, as seconds can count,” Camlin said. “Therefore, we do travel in bad weather, because we have to act as quickly as possible when someone is in need.”
One motorist was found clinging to a tree on Swimming Hole Road, Camlin said. The person’s vehicle was swept away in the floodwaters.
“ADR units would be on their way to one call and encounter another one on the way,” he said. “As soon as they cleared the original call, even before they got away, 911 or public service calls would send them to a residence that was flooding.”
As calls increased, Camlin said ADR requested two boats and an engine company “from any department.
“As soon as the county chiefs heard about the need for help,” he said, “Many of the county’s fire and rescue chiefs offered assistance. Al the county’s swiftwater rescue teams were activated and responded.”
As skies began to clear Tuesday, water continued rising, and the calls increased.
Livingston Creek flooded over Old Stage Highway (N.C. 87) below the old NAPA store, a perennial trouble spot. State Highway crews were en route to erect barricades, but motorists continued driving through water that was over some car hoods.
“Before DOT could get the heavy barriers out, and no one was there to direct traffic, two cars drove directly into the floodwaters,” Camlin said.
One of the vehicles flooded and the motorists escaped, he said.
“The second one drove into the water at a high rate of speed,” Camlin said, “but the water stopped it. They too had to be rescued.”
By Tuesday afternoon, he said, water levels were falling in some areas, and rising in others. ADR EMS crews relayed real time flood information to the fire department and law enforcement.
Camlin said wrecker services and private citizens also pitched in along the way. He said he did not immediately know exactly how many calls were answered by the responding departments.
“After so many rescues of getting people out of their cars,” he said, “the numbers were forgotten. You worry more about getting this one done and moving on to the next.”
Camlin said ADR received help from across the county.
Evergreen, Whiteville Rescue, Old Dock/Cypress Creek, Lake Waccamaw Fire Rescue, Whiteville Fire, and Brunswick all provided mutual aid, along with assistance from the sheriff’s office, fire marshal and county emergency management.
Camlin especially praised and thanked the 911 telecommunicators who worked throughout the storm.
“Our dispatchers have done a great job in the past, and they did this time as well,” he said. “They often go unrecognized, but they were pulling their hair out answering calls this time. They deserve a lot of thanks.
“This department is indebted to all the deputies, departments, dispatchers, and private citizens who came to our district to give aid to residents. We appreciate the camaraderie and family atmosphere that is given each day through automatic and mutual aid.”
