Ben Carson, state leaders visit Wilmington and tour areas damaged in Florence

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta heard first hand about the impact Hurricane Florence had on our area.

They were joined by senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr and Congressman David Rouzer.

Their first stop Monday morning was Best Buy in Wilmington, which is still closed.

They came to congratulate the hardworking Best Buy employees who kept working despite their closed doors.

Congressman Rouzer says these 125 employees are a community example. The  Best Buy company did not want its employees out of work so they paid them to serve the community, volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse, The Cajun Navy, Convoy of Hope, and others.

The store did suffer from some flood damage. The store manager says, fortunately, all products that were damaged in the store were shipped out for service.

Best Buy’s general manager says since the store opened in 2001 and this is the first time a disaster has closed company doors for such an extended period.

The store plans to re-open by Thanksgiving, just in time for big time holiday shopping.

We will more on his visit coming up tonight on WWAY News.