'Playing catchup.' Idalia floods Whiteville and it's not town's first time underwater

WHITEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Tropical Storm Idalia has moved away from North Carolina and many parts of the state got rain but escaped severe damage.

However, that was not the case in Whiteville which is located in Columbus County. The town saw the most significant flooding of any areas touched by Idalia, especially in its downtown.

Emergency crews said the flooding damaged around 40 businesses. Town leaders have declared a state of emergency for Whiteville due to the flooding.

“I could not walk. I had one of the emergency guys carry me down there, and it’s about — not quite a foot inside the salon there, but I did get in and it’s just running right through,” First Class Salon & Nails Owner Kareesa Pridgen said.

This is not the town’s first brush with flooding from a hurricane or major storm.

Director of Emergency Services Hal Lowder said some area floods often. He said new ordinances keep people from building more things in the flood plain, but that’s already too late for those already here.

“We’re playing a lot of catch-up from the sins of our forefathers because we just didn’t know at the time,” he said.

City officials said the area saw considerable flooding during Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. The business owners are now left to clean up the latest flood problem.

“I started crying. I’ve been there three years, but I had no idea it was going to be this bad. I worked till about 7 last night and wasn’t really prepared for a flood like this,” Pridgen said.