By Anna Phillips | November 13, 2020 at 8:40 PM EST – Updated November 13 at 11:45 PM
PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Over thirty roads in Pender County were flooded as heavy rain fell into Thursday night, but as of Friday only a few remain impassable.
Part of the roadway on Hwy 53 West between Hwy 421 and Bell Williams Road collapsed into the creek below and the road will be closed for weeks until it is rebuilt. For some people who live in the area, it means taking the long way around through Currie to get to homes just on the other side of the collapse.
At the Pender/Duplin County line, which is Rockfish Creek, water is overflowing the banks on both sides, but people who live in this area say it’s fairly common with any major storm for this area to flood.
Gwendolyn Moore says after 78 years living in Willard, she’s seen it flood “many, many times.”
“This is pretty standard issue for here,” Jay Horne agreed. “Everybody in this area knows that this is going to happen and it’s not a worry and they know to get away from it.”
As of Friday morning, Pender County Emergency Management estimated the area would need another 36 hours for water to recede.
Across the rest of the county, all eyes will be on river levels in the hope they won’t rise much farther as rain that’s fallen to our north and west works its way south.
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