Leland resident still feeling effects of Hurricane Florence more than 5 years on

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — It’s been more than five years since Hurricane Florence hit the Cape Fear, but there are still people who continue to deal with issues caused by the storm.

For Wendy Swaveley, it feels like she’s been in a vicious cycle. She’s been dealing with a leaky roof and multiple small fires in her mobile home in the years since Florence hit.

Swaveley said following the storm, she had her roof replaced by NC Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power program.

But she said the repair was poorly done and had to be fixed by Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry… or “WARM”.

Swaveley said her furnace also fell through the floor due to storm damage and was not replaced, leaving her to use space heaters to stay warm.

She said her home is unsafe to live in and she’s afraid of the worst happening.

“It’s not…I walk in the hallway, I’m breathing something in and I see a fire,” Swaveley said. “It’s gonna be 30 degrees out. My doctors tell me I can not live in something like this.”

Swaveley said Rebuild NC awarded her a replacement mobile home, but she said she has been unable to move out, because the money she received isn’t enough to find a place to stay.

“They sent me a check for $1400, how am I gonna find an apartment in Wilmington or Leland cause I’ve looked all around here,” Swaveley said. “They want a first month’s deposit, last month’s deposit, application fee on $1400.”

We reached out to Rebuild NC about Swaveley’s case. It issued a statement that reads in part: “The program does not send repeat stipends until the homeowner has relocated out of the damaged home and into a safe temporary location while the new home is being constructed. the program and general contractor await the homeowner’s move out of the home.”

Swaveley said she has been packed and ready to move since last December and has had pods taking up space on her property during that time.