BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – After flooding cut off US 17 (Ocean Highway West) heading south into Brunswick County, hundreds of motorists were stranded along the highway for hours waiting for the waters to recede.
According to a deputy sheriff on site, the floodwaters reached a height of up to 2.13 meters in some places on the highway, so that the road had to be closed near Winnabow.
Many drivers went to work on Monday, not knowing that it would take hours to get home.
WECT spoke to some drivers who want to wait for the flood to end.
George Bruce said he had been at work since Monday morning, in the rain.
He said he just wanted to go home, take a hot shower and go to bed.
“I had no idea. I knew it was raining really hard, but I had no idea it was going to be this bad,” Bruce told WECT. “So I guess I’ll sleep in the car tonight.”
Another driver, Tyler Thompson, said he would wait as long as necessary to get home to his pregnant wife and children.
“I can’t leave her alone … my wife is due to give birth in a few weeks. I have three children. I will do some off-roading if necessary,” Thompson said.
A spokesman for the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said there have been “multiple rescues throughout the county,” but could not provide the number or location of those rescues as of Monday.
Rescue workers are now asking their neighbors to be patient, stay safe and stay home if possible while they deal with the aftermath of the storm.
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