POLLOCKSVILLE, N.C. — Residents of North Carolina are waiting out hurricane season with fingers crossed, hoping no big storms impact our coast. The tiny town of Pollocksville is doing the same while working on recovery from Florence.
Pollocksville has been through a lot, and Mayor Jay Bender has been right by its side for 40 years. He grew up in Pollocksville and says he has no intention of leaving.
In 2018 Hurricane Florence poured more than 20 feet of water into the town. The historic town hall was just one of many buildings affected.
Bender drove around Pollocksville reminiscing about what it was like to drive through town right after the storm.
“Just every house you see,” said Bender pointing down the street. “This house was flooded. This house was flooded. This house was flooded.”
Four years after Florence, he says things are getting better, but the recovery process takes a long time.
“People are fixing these building up,” Bender said. “The restaurant was damaged. It's opened back. All these houses on both sides. This building's got a new coast of paint.”
The town hall used to sit right next to the Trent River before they moved it out of the floodplain. Other buildings have been rebuilt or raised in case of another flood.
“They anticipated recovery of five to seven years,” Bender said. “We're at four years, and I think we're way far ahead of the curve. We've still got a lot to do.”
Bender says it takes a lot of patience, but he is thrilled to see progress.
“We went through some struggles, but things are coming back. It takes longer to fix it back than it did to flood it and tear it up. That's for sure.”
Bender's goal is to continue fixing up the town and make it an attractive destination for visitors.