One month after Hurricane Matthew, Lumberton residents still struggle to rebuild

LUMBERTON, N.C. — The water is gone now in Lumberton, but the effects of Hurricane Matthew are still a part of the residents’ everyday lives.

Channel 9’s Ken Lemon met Linda Sutton in October when the flooded streets kept her from getting to her home. Her neighbor had told her there was no need to go back to her home.

It’s been one month since the floods, and Sutton showed Channel 9 what her home looks like now.

“I never knew that this would happen,” Sutton said.

She could barely walk on the floors because they were so warped from the floods. Some of the floor boards rose more than a couple of inches.

“I had a contractor come and he totaled it out,” Sutton said.

Lemon found several flooded-out cars in the same spots where they were parked a month ago.

Ken Lemon has a look at the devastation one month after Hurricane Matthew hit

West Lumberton Elementary and the school administration building are still closed because of flood damage.

Scores of homes are completely gutted, and everything that was inside is still left on the street.

“Sometimes when things like this happen it’s eye opening,” said homeowner Sallie Sinclair.

She and many others learned they can’t rebuild because they didn’t have flood insurance.

As of last week, 16,439 people in Robeson County have applied for disaster assistance. Officials have approved $18 million in aid, either low interest loans or FEMA grants. They can’t say if it’s enough to rebuild, but Channel 9 was told that it can be a slow process. More than 600 people were temporarily placed in hotels, even more packed Red Cross shelters.

Sutton said she is living with family. She said she has applied for aid, but hasn’t heard how much she may get.

“I’m still praying that I’m going to be all right," Sutton said.

One shelter manager in Lumberton told Channel 9 that about 10 percent of the people he helped were homeless. They will be back out on the streets vying for resources with people who suddenly find themselves in dire need.

Cox Media Group