Property owners frustrated by delayed repairs following Hurricane Isaias

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — For many, recovery efforts following Hurricane Isaias began Tuesday morning after the storm.

But property owners at Safe Harbor South Harbor Marina say management has barely scratched the surface of repairs five days following the storm.

“The marina here has done nothing in 5 days to allow us out yet,” Captain Ryan Jordan said.

Jordan is docks his charter boat in the marina, but he’s been unable to run his charters due to being stuck in the marina after docks broke loose during the storm. This blocked his boat and many others from leaving the marina.

He says there was no preparedness plan before the storm and little to no communication following the storm.

“There could have been something done to prevent further damage,” Jordan said. “We’re getting further damage now because of their inaction.”

Community members say boats that were not damaged during the storm have sustained damage in the last 5 days because of the broken docks and other debris in the marina.

Property owner Chris Hildreth says many people feel there was no preparation whatsoever.

“Always assume the worst scenario and not lock up at 5 o’clock, go home and come back the next day to see what happened,” Hildreth said. “That’s really what most of the community feels that’s what’s happened to us.”

Hildreth says community members, condo owners, boat owners and house-boat owners relied on one another for help during the storm.

“It was crazy. Wind was blowing up to 90mph, docks were buckling. The transient dock snapped off of its mooring,” he said. “We believe it was overloaded on the east end and that east end pivoted around and caught two other docks and as those docks collided, they buckled. Of course people were on their boats and they had to climb off of boats and climb over boats to get to dry land.”

On Saturday afternoon, five days after the storm, dock workers arrived to cut an opening in the marina so that boats could begin to be moved elsewhere.

Jordan and Hildreth say they hope management better prepares for storms in the future and act much quicker in the aftermath.

The Dock Master was on site when WWAY crews were there, but when asked about the situation he declined to comment.

WWAY called the marina later in the day for a comment and an employee said the delays were due to safety precautions.