Officials and local businesses prepare for potential flooding ahead of Debby’s arrival

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As the full brunt of Tropical Storm Debby makes its way to the Cape Fear, officials and local businesses are preparing for whatever it may bring. 

In Carolina Beach, the town is taking measures to mitigate the potential for flash flooding. Town Manager Bruce Oakley said the main concern with the flooding is making sure the water has somewhere to go.  

“We’re pumping down our lake significantly to handle some extra storm water and then we will continue to pump as the rain comes in,” Oakley said. “We’ve also added extra pumps to our town-owned retention ponds to pump that water to allow for more capacity for rain water.”  

While town leaders weigh their options, so too are local businesses. Owner of Sunny Daze Smokehouse James Hardin said—for now—they’re playing it by ear. 

“We have measures in place, you know sandbags obviously, tape for windows, boards for the windows, but we’re not going to pull that stuff out until we deem necessary,” Hardin explained. 

In downtown Wilmington, Bagels on Point is also waiting to see how the storm plays out.  

“Unless it gets really bad and no one is able to drive down here, we should be open,” employee Katharina Rassmann said, 

One staple in the Cape Fear is Britt’s Donut Shop in Carolina Beach. Opened in 1939, the boardwalk shop has seen the likes of Floyd and Florence, but this time around, Owner Bobby Nivens said it’s difficult to estimate the impact of Debby.  

“It’s hard to tell about this thing,” Nivens noted. “It’s not bad right now, in fact it’s real nice out there. But it could, the next couple days, be a little bit dangerous.”  

Nivens added that regardless of how bad flooding may get, Britts has weathered far worse over the years.  

“Nowadays, they have a good drainage system here. So, we don’t get the water like we used to,” Nivens said.