Homeowners begin recovery after evacuating flooded home

CAROLINA SHORES, NC (WWAY) — Recovery is underway for everyone in Carolina Shores after the town got 18 inches of rain in just four days.

The water is all gone, but the damage is piling up for Alfred and Sylvia Linear.

“I like to say in Carolina Shores, the shores finally showed up,” Alfred said.

It all started Friday night. It was just the second day of the historic rainfall.

“We were eating supper and we would go back and forth looking to see where it was,” Sylvia said.

First it came up the driveway.

“Then the garage started filling up,” Alfred said.

Then, the water came up the front steps.

“That’s when we decided we better get out while we can before we get stranded,” Alfred said.

It was a race against the clock.

“What do you really grab?” Sylvia asked.

They decided they needed the essentials and two valuables that do not have a price tag.

“Our wedding pictures and our bibles,” Sylvia said.

Time was running out.

“While we were packing stuff, you could feel the water coming up under the carpet,” Sylvia said.

Safety was now a factor as the water kept getting deeper.

“From that point on, fear never kicked in because I was so focused on doing what was necessary to get out,” Alfred said.

The couple spent the next two days at a hotel as Carolina Shores got more than 18 inches of rain.

“We never dreamed it would come in the house,” Sylvia said.

Town leaders are now working with county and state officials to assess damage everywhere, distribute red cross clean up kits and assist all residents in need.

While the Linears face thousands of dollars in damage, they say they got lucky.

“Blessed,” Sylvia said. “We feel passed lucky.”