Seven Springs residents may not return after Hurricane Matthew

Water on Sunday was still surrounding homes in Seven Springs, a town that lost nearly half of its residents following Hurricane Floyd.
Posted 10/16/2016, 10:53:35 PM Updated 9/23/2025, 7:51:32 PM

>>> WATER STILL SURROUNDS MANY

HOMES AND SEVEN SPRINGS, NEARLY

HALF OF THE RESIDENCE DID NOT

RETURN TO THE AREA YEARS AGO

AFTER HURRICANE FLOYD.

MANY WHO DID QUESTIONING IF

THEY WANT TO REBUILD YET AGAIN.

OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH

AMY VICTOR.

>>REPORTER: BEFORE HURRICANE

FLOYD, THIS TOWN WAS JUST SHY

OF 200 PEOPLE.

ONLY ABOUT 110 RETURNED AFTER

THE FLOODING.

PASSPORT TO 2016, ABOUT 84

RESIDENTS LIVED HERE.

BECAUSE OF HURRICANE MATTHEW'S

IMPACT, MANY ARE WONDERING

SHOULD WE STAY OR GO?

>> YOU DO NOT EXPECT TO SEE

YOUR HOME MIRRORED IN A POOL OF

WATER.

>>REPORTER: THIS IS THE SECOND

TIME IN 20 YEARS.

B WHERE THE STOP SIGN IS, IS

THE HOUSE BEHIND INTO THE RIGHT

OF IT.

>>REPORTER: THE FIRST TIME WAS

DURING THE FLOODING OF 1999.

WHAT ARE DESTROYED HIS

BELONGINGS, BUT HE CHOSE TO

REBUILD.

>> THE HOUSE SITS OFF THE

GROUND ABOUT THIS HIGH.

WITH FLOYD IT WAS ABOUT 2 FEET.

I AM FIGURING THIS IS THREE OR

MORE.

>>REPORTER: BECAUSE THE

NEIGHBORHOOD THE HEART IS IN --

FLOODING IS IN THE HEART OF THE

BASIN TO S

>> WE ARE LESS AND PROBABLY 100

YARDS.>>REPORTER: THINGS ARE

NOT SO EASY ON MAINE'S TREAT TO

PICK UP AND START OVER AGAIN.

>> THIS IS GOING TO BE A 500

YEAR EVENT.

WE WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS TO

HAPPEN AGAIN.>>REPORTER: IS

LIKE THE LAST ONE, RESIDENTS

MAY NOT RETURN HERE.

SOMETHING HE SAYS HE WOULD HATE

TO SEE.

>> YOU HAVE A LOW PERCENTAGE

FROM THE START, IT DOESN'T TAKE

THAT A FEW TO LEAVE AND IT

CHANGES THE ENTIRE

DYNAMIC.>>REPORTER: HE KNOWS

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THOSE

IMPACT IT WILL BE

CONTEMPLATING, INCLUDING HIS

OWN FAMILY.

THE HOME IS A PART OF HISTORY

FOR HIS WIFE.

>> KNOWING HER FATHER BEFORE HE

DIED, HE WOULD SAY GET OUT OF

THERE.

>>REPORTER: AMY VICTOR, WRAL

NEWS, SEVEN SPRINGS.

>>> THE NATIONAL GUARD IS STILL

ON THE GROUND THERE.