Southport continues to rebuild following storm as businesses impacted by traffic issues

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — It’s been more than 3 weeks since Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 hit the Cape Fear region and many people are still recovering.

One of the hardest areas was the city of Southport.

In Southport, about 20 inches of rain fell in six hours during the cyclone last month, which caused extensive flooding and erosion.

Several roads leading to the city were also impacted, including sections of NC Highway 211, Highway 133, and the 500 block of East Moore Street, which partially collapsed.

According to Southport Mayor Rich Alt, 83 residents reported flooding issues, ranging from minimal damage to more than 3 feet of water inside their homes.

Alt said that since the storm hit, the city has learned a lot, including how to better coordinate with FEMA following a natural disaster like this.

“Get them on the phone and say, listen, these are the things we struggles with,” Alt said. “Tell me how we can make this better and we already, we started that on day 3 I think. Literally getting people on the phone and say help us as we look through these programs and where we think we’re going to go in the next week, how’s the best way to manage that program?”

Another group of people who have been heavily impacted in the weeks following the storm are business owners.

Christina Willetts is the owner of Side Street Bakery.

She said road closures are hurting her and other business owners.

“I am feeling it, I rely on pretty much walk-bys, walk-in customers,” Willetts said. “And since the roads are out, there’s not much traffic in downtown Southport. Sales are probably down about 40%.”

City Manager Stuart Turille said they’re looking at ways to improve Southport’s infrastructure, particularly when it comes to flooding.

“And we have taken a hard look at our stormwater and flooding,” Turille said. “There’s an opportunity here to repair our system and also have frank discussions about how we can move the system to accommodate the more frequent storms at a higher intensity that we’re seeing now.”

Alt added that the city is looking at applying for additional financial assistance for business owners impacted by the road closures, but isn’t sure when or if the city will qualify.