Fair Bluff evacuated as flooding ravages towns

FAIR BLUFF, NC (WWAY) — It is a town without power inundated by water.

Today, rescue crews helped dozens of families evacuate their homes in Fair Bluff in western Columbus County.

Fair Bluff Baptist Church is full of water.

Town Hall is full of water.

Houses are full, as are abandoned cars.

Mayor Billy Hammond says it is an absolute disaster.

Sherman Axelberg says she has lived there for more than 40 years, and she has never seen anything like this. She says everyone has been scrambling to save what they can.

“People have been helping pull stuff out of you know waist- to chest-deep water in stores to get what they can, salvage what they can, because it’s completely devastated.”

The mayor says their goal right now is to get anyone out who needs to help, and then later they will assess the damage and rebuild.

At this point almost no one in the town has power, unless they have Brunswick Electric. The mayor says they have no idea when the power will be back at this point. There are dozens of power lines and trees down.