FEMA checks out flooding damage in Brunswick County

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The damage is done, but how bad is it? Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been taking a close look at what last week’s flooding has done to Brunswick County.

“We seem to be the low point in the area, and probably about 14 inches ended up in the basement,” Connie Murphy said about her home in Oak Island.

Five teams from FEMA and the state spread out among 19 counties in North Carolina. Their job is to assess last week’s flood damage to homes, roads and small businesses. A team assigned to Brunswick County started in Boiling Spring Lakes, where they saw a lot of flooding, but not too much damage. Then they shot down to Southport and over to Oak Island.

“With FEMA we’re looking at as if it’s habitable or inhabitable and the full extent of the damage,” FEMA spokesman Ted Stuckey said.

The team’s stops stemmed from a list of calls people made to emergency services.

“We know there’s more out there,” Brunswick Co. Emergency Services Deputy Director Scott Garner said. “We’re trying to identify where they’re at.”

FEMA is looking for damage to people’s primary residence, specifically affecting their living areas. So Murphy’s basement in her second home was not a huge concern.

“Fortunately we didn’t have anything of very much importance down there, some Christmas decorations, but we salvaged what we could,” Murphy said.

FEMA and the state will send their preliminary assessment reports to Gov. Bev Perdue, who will determine whether to request assistance from the federal government.

The team in Brunswick County headed to Columbus County next. They plan to go to Pender County tomorrow.

If you have significant flood damage you want to report, you can call Emergency Services at (910) 253-7453.