Hurricanes

Mandatory evacuation lifted for Little River in Harnett County

U.S. Highway 401 in Harnett County reopened Wednesday, leading to traffic congestion as people tried to return home for the first time since Hurricane Florence hit.

Posted Updated

By
Candace Sweat
and
Adam Owens, WRAL reporters
LILLINGTON, N.C. — U.S. Highway 401 in Harnett County reopened Wednesday, leading to traffic congestion as people tried to return home for the first time since Hurricane Florence hit.

According to county officials, the mandatory evacuation along the Lower Little River in Harnett County has been lifted, and routes on N.C. 210, N.C. 87 and U.S. 401 have all reopened.

The Little River has receded and people who live in Harnett County were able to exhale a bit, especially those who were forced from their homes by flooding.

Jimmy Britt is quite familiar with the Little River, but this time was different.

“I’ve been right here since 1957,” he said. “I’ve seen it rise, but nowhere near like this.”

Britt, like so many others this week, had to make a critical decision. He evacuated along with others whose homes were commandeered by gushing water.

Kurt Reed watched as the water swallowed his backyard.

“You feel powerless. There’s nothing else you can feel. You just sit there and watch it creep up on you,” Reed said.

Some worked as fast as possible to move as much as possible after the storm. Britt grabbed his dog and went for higher ground, where he stayed in his truck until the storm passed.

“Then I came back home and then the water kept coming up,” he said.

Wednesday night, the river was down, cars were back on the road and people were returning to assess the damage.

“Well, I’ve got good insurance and all that, but maybe after a while the floor will buckle,” Britt said.

As many are working to assess the damage, a local church Wednesday night hosted a meeting to determine how they could help those in need.

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