Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Florence haunt Fayetteville residents as western NC awaits help after Hurricane Helene

The devastation from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina is reminding some people in the state of the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 – and the long wait for aid that followed.

WRAL News spoke with William Bullock, survivor of those hurricanes, who explained his painful and lengthy road to recovery.

“We had water in the road,” Bullock recalled from Hurricane Matthew. “We had water just about this whole area here.

“We even had little boats come through and pick us up … A lot of cars were almost underneath the water.”

Some of the homes have yet to be repaired.

People who live off Old Wilmington Road in Fayetteville will never forget when Hurricane Matthew came through. It flooded their homes and turned streets into rivers.

Hurricane Matthew caused widespread damage in Cumberland and Robeson counties. Some residents went weeks without power. The storm destroyed many homes and businesses.

Bullock and hundreds of other hurricane survivors lived in motels for more than a year. He said several homes in his community are still in need of repairs.

“They’re coming back and repairing these houses now, trying to make sure that it won’t happen again,” Bullock said. “They’re making the foundations a little higher than it was.”

FEMA helped homeowners get back on their feet. Several organizations and volunteer church groups helped rebuild communities. Bullock was one of the lucky homeowners who had flood insurance. However, he said collecting the benefit was a challenge.

“You have flood insurance, but the thing about it, going through the process and everything, but you still had to deal with the situation out here,” Bullock said. “[You’ve] got to eat. You’ve got to support other people that’s in that same situation.”

Bullock advised people dealing with storm damage from Helene to have patience and prayers.