After flooding of historic proportions occurred in Brunswick County on Monday, the county’s schools will remain closed until at least the end of the week.
Brunswick County Schools announced on its website Tuesday afternoon that schools will remain closed to students. Specific instructions and options were emailed to staff. The district’s schools have been closed since Monday.
The impacts were seen throughout the Wilmington area, but areas in Brunswick were the worst hit. Some areas received more than 20 inches of rain, flooding homes and streets. Several roads, including major highways like US 17, are flooded in sections, with no timeline for repairs.
Places like Southport are virtually inaccessible by car as several roads into the coastal town are damaged.
New Hanover County and Pender County schools will both reopen on their normal schedules on Wednesday. Both districts faced criticism after reopening on Monday amid worsening conditions and then announcing early closures during the storm.
Carolina Beach Elementary School, located in one of the worst-hit areas in New Hanover County, was immediately dismissed, but many students needed help getting home, arriving in a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office truck to ride out the floodwaters.
Interim Superintendent Christopher Barnes sent a statement Monday afternoon apologizing to New Hanover County students, families and staff for the decision to keep schools open.
