KELLY — As rain poured and flood waters rose, residents in this small community of about 200 braced for the worst.
When an earthen dike erected following flooding in September of 1945 failed to hold back the worst of Hurricane Florence, homes and lives were changed forever. Tuesday night, county commissioners will bring together the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other elected representatives to meet with the residents.
The meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Centerville Baptist Church, 18021 N.C. 53 East.
It will be the second of four gatherings by county commissioners this week; their regular meeting was scheduled Monday night, a meeting with U.S. Rep. David Rouzer is planned Wednesday, and a resumption of last month’s planning retreat happens Thursday.
Charles Ray Peterson, chairman of the commissioners, announced the meeting at last week’s regular meeting of the board. He apologized for the short notice but said pulling so many entities together had its hurdles and the date was the best available for the most to attend.
Invitations went to U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, as well as Rouzer. The dike of just more than 14 miles is in Rouzer’s district, including between three to four miles in Pender County.
The Lyons Swamp Drainage board and the district advisory board for the Kelly dike will also be represented. Pender County representatives have been invited, and Dean Marsh, director of Bladen County’s Soil & Water Conservation, is expected to be in attendance.
“The Corps will do the talking,” Peterson said. “They’ll do the background. And we’ll have a place for public input.”
He said the commissioners’ work that has gone on since the hurricane in September will be shared with the gathering.
Some of what will be shared, Peterson predicted, will not be liked. He also said that, despite some intentional breaches of the dam made through the years, water came over the dam where it was intact. The Cape Fear River rose to its second-highest level throughout Bladen County’s three primary checkpoints.
“When we listen to the people, we’ll take away what we learn from the meeting Tuesday night and try to see what we can do with our legislators,” Peterson said. “According to the Corps, it’s going to take federal legislation to fix it.”
Asked at what price tag, Peterson said it’s not known. But a rough estimate exceeds $10 million and could reach twice that.
“It’s time for Bladen County commissioners to go to Kelly,” Peterson said. “We’ve been working, and it’s time to share that with the citizens in Kelly. And it’s time, if what the Corps say is true, it’s time to ask Burr, Tillis and Rouzer to introduce legislation to fix it. And we kind of need to know if they’re going to help us. And if they’re not, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
On Natmore Road in Kelly, the flooding of September left several homes like this one – with belongings outside as cleanup took place inside.