Remembering Hurricane Floyd:
Recalling Hurricane Floyd:
My first experience with flooding was in ’99. Devastation–Even though I was not living in Princeville, I was still living in Long Pine, but I was evacuated by helicopter in ’99. I didn’t believe it was coming so I waited until the last minute, it was too late. I had never seen it before. I said, “these people don’t know what they’re talking about, a flood.” I learned my lesson. So when ’16 came around and they said “flood,” I moved. They won’t have to come get me this time.
I was so thankful that they saw me because everybody was gone. I was in a subdivision and my sister called on the telephone and she said, “Why are you still there?” and I said “What are you talking about?” She said, “They evacuated a long time ago, last night.” I said, “you’re kidding.” She said, “no I’m not.” And as soon as I hung up the phone, it went dead. You could hear it “ding.” So I looked outside, the water was not that high; it was probably ankle-deep. I probably could have made it out at that point but I was still in denial. And then when it started coming up on my porch and I said, “uh oh I’m in trouble now.” And by the grace of God I saw a helicopter flying over, and I started waving at them and they kept going, and they still didn’t see me. They did that three times, and the fourth time they dropped the rope. I hung on. (Had the water gotten higher?) It was on the porch; it had not gotten in the house yet but it was on the porch.
My story is nothing compared to a friend of mine living almost in Pine Tops. He said he went to bed that night and his wife woke him up, said she heard some running water. So he put his hand down and put it in the water, so the water was inside that home. So he had to get up out the of the bed and get outside and try to find some help. And luckily they were able to get up a small hill and get to somebody else’s house, and they were calling for help, and they said they’ll be there as soon as they can. But the water was rising so fast, it was already in that other house, and they had climbed up in the attic; and by the time they had climbed up in the attic, the water was high and they heard the boat coming. But the boat came just in town.
On the relationship between Princeville and Tarboro:
Tarboro’s been great. When we were looking for a manager, their manager came over and worked with us on the interview process. Because he is experienced with that type of management. So we listened to what he had to say . . . We invite each other to participate in our Christmas parades. A lot of good things. When we do things, they come; when they do things we come. Do what we need to do to make the world better, the county better. If the county is better, the world is better.