Non-stop rain leads to sinkholes around southern Brunswick County

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — With all the rain, folks in southern Brunswick County are trying to keep their heads above water and above ground. The washout is causing plenty of sinkholes.

“To walk around and visually inspect them and know, there’s no way to know what’s behind that wall,” Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith said.

In Ocean Isle Beach the rain caused four sinkholes. Some were on private property, and others on public roads.

“Water on the street found the low spot, which happened to be at the end of the street here, and over three hours created this sinkhole,” said Ocean Isle Beach resident Fred David.

To prevent the problem from getting worse, the town of Ocean Isle Beach put several pumps on flooded streets. In Shallotte, emergency services shutdown several roads as they prepared for the down pour, including Hale Swamp Road because of a sinkhole that resulted from Monday night’s rain.

“I don’t know what to think,” Ann Bland of Shallotte said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this.”