Man feared missing in Columbus County flooding

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The flooding in Columbus County following Hurricane Matthew has been getting worse, and now a man is missing.

Family and friends say that around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Danny Chestnut, a Columbus County resident, was leaving his son’s house and heading home. However, he never made it back to his house.

Search and rescue teams were at Gore’s Chapel in Nakina this afternoon searching for Chestnut, who is believed to be lost in the flooding.

His truck was located just up the flooded road from Gore’s Chapel earlier this morning.

Friends and family were at the church hoping for a miracle.

“We just don’t have any idea,” Chestnut’s brother Ray Chesnut said. “We pray that he’s safe, but it don’t look good.”

Authorities were on scene this afternoon, and search and rescue units sent divers into the water to try and find Chestnut in the event he is under the water.

There is no update on Chestnut’s location at this time.

Residents told me today that the flooding on the river near the church has gotten substantially worse over night in the days since Hurricane Matthew.