Fire and Rescue station breaks ground exactly one year after Hurricane Matthew

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A year ago the town of Fair Bluff was sitting under water.

It had been destroyed by Hurricane Matthew both physically and emotionally. Now they are in high spirits.

“This is just a great accomplishment,” Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue Operations Director Ken Elliott said.

Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue has broken ground on their new station.

“This is a big deal for the town. I think it’s a big deal for the entire community because these folks at the Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue– their building was destroyed,” resident Gene Martin said.

Last year the station was condemned after being flooded with 45 inches of rain and raw sewage.

“To see this getting ready to come up in a brand new building and these folks deserve it. They deserve all the help they can get, all the thanks they can get and quite often they don’t get all of that,” Martin said.

The tight-knit community still has a long journey ahead of them.

“The town is coming together to move forward it’s taken a lot of help from everybody in town.  The towns getting some help we’re starting to see some people come back in the town since their getting homes repaired, so it’s starting to process,” Elliott said.

But one thing is for sure, Fair Bluff still has a lot strength to continue pushing forward.

“We haven’t washed away we’re still here and there are people here that are still trying to do something and still believe in Fair Bluff and we want to keep it that way,” Martin said.

The Fire and Rescue Operations Director said he hopes to have the new station ready in the next 10 to 12 months.