Leland resident recounts 17 hour drive on Monday due to flooded roads
LELAND, NC (WWAY) — As roads became impassable during Monday’s storm, hundreds of drivers became trapped on some Brunswick County roads.
One such driver was 84-year-old Cameron Morgan.
Last weekend, Morgan was visiting a relative near Charleston, South Carolina.
On Monday, he left their house around 10 am to drive home, but due to the heavy rainfall and flooded roads, he spent the next 17 hours in his car, a drive which usually takes around 3 hours.
He first came to a stop between Shallotte and Bolivia, where he sat about 4 hours, before traffic started to move, only to stop again for another 4 hours.
Morgan said despite the inconvenience, he and the other stranded travelers tried to make the best of their situation.
“I never thought I was ever going to be there all night, even though I was there almost all night, I never thought that I would really be there all night,” Morgan said. “It just never crossed my mind. Everybody’s meandering around, where are you from? So it was kind of a friendly deal, you know, everybody’s just happy.”
A third stop lasted for 5 hours before late Monday night when Highway Patrol and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office members directed drivers, like Morgan, on back roads, to higher ground so they could make it home.
Morgan said those officers and troopers deserve praise for helping so many people.
“A lot of people said a lot of bad things about the Highway Patrol, North Carolina Highway Patrol and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department,” Morgan said. “But to me, they’re heroes right now cause they, I never could have found my way home so I thought they did an outstanding job myself.”
If you know the weather is going to be bad, officials recommend you delay getting on the road until a storm passes.
Several factors can affect your driving in the rain, like hydroplaning, slower reaction times, standing water that can take over your car and hard braking should be avoided to prevent losing control and damaging your vehicle’s brake system.
