PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Maureen Ruiz moved to Scotts Hill in 2019. Two months later, a rainstorm left flood water halfway up the fence to her yard.

Ruiz – and other residents in the Scotts Hill neighborhood in Pender County – have been struggling with heavy flooding over recent years. The neighborhood is close to Futch Creek and the coastline, and after large storms, there can be sizable amounts of flooding.

A week after Tropical Storm Debby passed through Cape Fear, a chunk of Ruiz’s front and backyards are still underwater – and she says it will likely take another week before her yard is back to normal.

“I need help,” Ruiz said. “I’ve gone to landscapers, I’ve talked to multiple people – and no one can give me an answer – but I can’t live like this.”

The flooding has a large impact on Ruiz’s life. She keeps her two children inside, nervous about them going in the water and getting sick or injured, and she has to walk her five dogs one by one to avoid flooding. Her insurance rates have gone up – she was forced to purchase flood insurance after buying the house – and she hired a landscaping company to build a bioretention pond that she says can hold up to 10-14,000 gallons of water. That pond helps mitigate flooding with smaller storms, Ruiz said, but it overflows after heavy rain, sending water into her crawl space and neighbors’ yards.

Ruiz now fears the problem is about to get worse. Two housing developments – one proposed, one approved – are in the works, potentially bringing 365 homes into her neighborhood.

“All of my neighbors have the same concern: it’s going to push more water to this neighborhood,” Ruiz said.

Developing in flood-prone areas can be dangerous, according to UNC Professor Miyuki Hino, who researches the socioeconomic impact of climate hazards like flooding and hurricanes. Hino said development expands the “bullseye” of flooding, impacting more people and property, and can take away from the water absorption benefits that wetlands and marshes can provide. She says growth is important, but it’s important to be conscious of where and how development is done.

“When we start developing in more places – especially in these flood-prone areas – we’re taking places that used to flood harmlessly before, and now that water is threatening people, it is threatening property and it’s turning into a much bigger challenge,” Hino said.

Pender County planning director Daniel Adams said the county takes flooding concerns very seriously, and it’s trying to address them as best they can. The area is unique because water doesn’t drain as well, he said, and it’s difficult to alter drainage systems on private property. The county recently hired a stormwater engineering firm to help address concerns, and Adams noted developers have to get state and county approval for stormwater systems before construction begins.

But Ruiz is already in harm’s way. And more flooding could mean even more damage to her home – and family.

“The problem is getting worse,” Ruiz said. “I’m afraid about the next big storm that’s going to come in – what’s gonna happen to my house? Is it going to go into my house instead of just the crawl space? And then what?”

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