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Tag: Changing Landscapes

  • How a church in Saxapahaw is repairing 6 months after flood

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    SAXAPAHAW, N.C. — Nearly six months after Tropical Storm Chantal sent floodwaters rushing through Saxapahaw, one local church is still rebuilding but says its faith never wavered. Saxapahaw United Methodist Church suffered extensive damage in July when floodwaters filled the building with more than 2 feet of water. 

         What You Need To Know

    • Nearly six months after Tropical Storm Chantal sent floodwaters rushing through Saxapahaw, one local church is still rebuilding but says its faith never wavered  

    • Saxapahaw United Methodist Church suffered extensive damage in July when floodwaters filled the building with more than 2 feet of water

    • The storm hit just days after Mandy Sayers began her role as the church’s new pastor

    • The church expects to reopen its child care center by the end of January. Leaders hope to welcome the congregation back into the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, marking a full return home nearly a year after the flooding


    The storm hit just days after Mandy Sayers began her role as the church’s new pastor.

    The church, once filled with pews and a congregation gathered for worship, was left underwater. Floors and walls were destroyed, including areas used for a year-round day care program.

    “We ended up with about two and a half feet of water here where the church is,” Sayers said.

    While Sayers’ personal belongings in the parsonage were spared, the church itself was not as fortunate.

    “None of my materials, my possessions got harmed in the parsonage, but the church was not so lucky,” Sayers said.

    In the days following the flood, volunteers arrived immediately to help with cleanup. Donations soon followed, many from people with longstanding connections to the church.

    “To this day, I go to the mailbox, and I get a little card from someone that says, ‘You don’t know me, but we were married in that church,’ and please take this as a gift for the new year,” Sayers said.

    Now, the focus is on reopening, starting with the child care center and eventually returning to worship inside the sanctuary.

    “As you can see, we had to remove the flooring and the subflooring, everything here,” Sayers said while pointing out what used to be their gathering space.

    Sayers says Easter represents more than just a target date. For the congregation, it reflects the journey they have been on together.

    “Easter is all about new beginnings and new life and love and hope and all the things that our church has really experienced through the help of all our neighbors,” Sayers said.

    Even after disaster, Sayers says the experience reinforced the power of community and faith.

    “We could not be where we are without the help of so many,” Sayers said. “One of the gifts of this experience has been being on the receiving end of that love and feeling called to pay it forward.”

    The church expects to reopen its child care center by the end of January. Leaders hope to welcome the congregation back into the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, marking a full return home nearly a year after the flooding.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

     

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    Ashley Van Havere

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  • Meet a man on a mission to rebuild Ocean Isle beaches

    Meet a man on a mission to rebuild Ocean Isle beaches

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    OCEAN ISLE, N.C. —  Dunes represent a natural coastal protection measure. Henry Cooke is trying to revitalize them in Brunswick County, making the beach fronts a buildable space and safer from flooding issues.

    What You Need To Know

    • Sand dredging helps to replace sand that is carried away by wave action and currents, essentially “reclaiming” the beach and preserving its appearance and usability
    • Sand fencing and grass installation helps replenish the dunes on the beaches
    • To view the requirements for building an ocean front home, click here

    “Without an adequate dune system for protection, the town will not issue a permit to build housing,” Cooke said.

    Homes are not built on the dunes themselves, but rather near the dune lines. However, the ground isn’t stable enough for construction, according to Cooke, who is working to make a difference on that front. 

    Dunes are essentially small sand hills, built up to serve as a defensive line against floods from hurricanes and other storms. Many are protected by different laws and ordnances to keep people from damaging them. 

    Cooke started Dune Doctor LLC as a way to help the beaches he loves. He began this journey to help the dunes after his family lost their real estate business in Brunswick County. 

    “We were unable to make any kind of profit last year due to two storms back-to-back, which took our entire rental season for an entire year,” Cooke said. 

    Cooke is now using plants to stabilize the beaches and help keep sand from washing away. He said it’s important to use native plants, including American Beach Grass. 

    “[It’s] native to North Carolina, and they are pasture grown in a field the same as tobacco or another plant. Just the same. They’re hardy, which makes them hardy and makes them stronger. They’ve already endured the wind and the cold,” Cooke said. 

    Cooke isn’t the only one trying to revitalize the beaches, however, as many towns across North Carolina are now using dredging, a process that involves pumping sand from the sea and adding it back to the shores to build up the beach. 

    “Dredging is the other side of it. We work with the sand. They work with the sand, but they’re just in the water, and they move it around a little bit differently, depending on when they depend on water. It’s a much bigger job that they do, but it’s very important, especially in this coast of North Carolina,” Cooke said. 

    Cooke said his efforts to replant the beaches are just one small piece to revitalizing them. As more dredging projects happen, the extra sand they dig up helps these beaches grow and gives Cooke and his team more to work with. 

    “It has helped. And I would say with the most recent job of dredging here, we’ve if not doubled, maybe even more, this the width of the entire beach here,” Cooke said. “I was here last year measuring for these plants, and we didn’t have near as much.”

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    Spectrum News Staff

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