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Running a shop in the aftermath of a hurricane

Figure 1. The impassable road through Snow Hill, N.C., on our normal commute to the shop.

Having grown up in eastern North Carolina, I am no stranger to hurricanes or hurricane parties. They come around every year, and some are better, or I should say worse than others. You make the most of the situation and be sure you, your family, and oftentimes your shop are well-prepared.

Two storms come to mind when people think of major flood damage in eastern North Carolina—Hurricane Floyd and the recent Hurricane Matthew.

Hurricane Floyd came in September 1999. I was a freshman in college at Appalachian State University on the opposite side of the state from where I grew up and where my dad’s metal fabrication shop is located. I knew I wouldn’t feel any of the effects of the hurricane at school like my family in New Bern would. Gusting winds, trees whipping around—the constant worry of losing power was always on your mind during a hurricane. These thoughts were with me, even though I was a solid six hours away.

Hurricane Floyd proved to have one heck of an impact in its aftermath. Highways were impassable, businesses and homes flooded, and many people lost everything they owned. The problem with flooding back in 1999 was that people didn’t have the technology that is available today. Businesses and people were not prepared for the slowly creeping flood waters.

I remember that my dad had to stay home from his shop for a few days because of Floyd. Once he finally made the huge detour up to the shop in Wilson, he realized it wasn’t worth the risk to drive back home. He ended up getting a hotel room for a few nights until some of the highways and backroads were safe to travel.

As a business owner, he did what he had to do to keep the shop running. Fortunately for him and the shop, the water did not enter Barnes MetalCrafters, but it came close—up to the back entry and within inches of the door. This was definitely a scare for him, having owned the business for only a few years.

The businesses on the road behind ours were not as fortunate. Hurricane Floyd had them completely underwater, and they lost weeks of production time. Knowing what I know now, I can only imagine what they were going through. I was so green in 1999.

Fast-forward to 2016. I’ve worked for Barnes MetalCrafters for more than 12 years and have experienced a large number of piddly hurricanes. Hurricane Matthew recently moved up the coast, and a child in preschool could have drawn a better projected track with a handful of Magic Markers. The storm was unpredictable, and I think people around here quit paying attention until it got closer.

When Matthew finally made its presence known here, it wasn’t all that bad, considering some of the other hurricanes we’ve been through. We got the normal rain and wind, and my house and the shop didn’t get that much debris.

On our way back to work the Monday after the weekend hurricane, we noticed the damages started to get worse the farther we traveled inland. The roads weren’t bad until we got to Snow Hill, which was covered completely by water (Figure 1). A quick U-turn and we took another route.

Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew showing a dock in Kinston, N.C., under flood waters.

As water started to flow over the roads we were traveling, our discussion quickly turned to how we were going to get home. We made it to work safely and soon found out that the road we took to get there was closed right after we went through.

Another route home was easily found, so we weren’t too worried about getting home that day. It was the days to follow that were our concern. The weather alerts were predicting rising waters that wouldn’t crest until the end of the week. The more people we talked to, the worse the stories and the news became. We found out the shop behind ours had 5 feet of water inside. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that, especially after the flooding Hurricane Floyd created.

On our way home that day through Kinston, we noticed a lot of standing water and some businesses were sandbagging their buildings. We went to work Tuesday and watched the water rise and knew this was going to affect our ability to make it there the next day. The last thing I wanted to do was make it to the shop and not be able to get home to my wife and two young daughters.

Dad and I drove separately on Wednesday, because I had to leave early. I called him after I drove through Kinston and told him that he may want to leave soon so he could make it home. I saw him later that evening and he kinda smiled at me as he told me we probably wouldn’t be going to work the next day. He said he was one of the last few vehicles they would let through as they were closing the highway.

Our other option to get to work was to go through Greenville, but the city was experiencing major flooding, too, and all East Carolina University classes were canceled for an entire week. I ended up missing work on Thursday and Friday. By Monday we found a detour to the shop, but it added about 45 minutes to our commute, making it more than two hours. It gets old riding a long way to work, but on the brighter side, it could have been much worse.

Everyone in our shop was able to make it in, except for one employee whose house was completely flooded, as was his car. He was still in good spirits and missed only a couple of days.

Thankfully, after the initial Matthew shock, technology was able to let us know when the Neuse River would crest. This vital info helped many people and businesses save or move whatever valuables they could.

We were able to plan our commute around the flood waters. That was about the only thing that affected our two weeks following the hurricane. Once our normal route was opened back up, the sights and smells were extremely saddening. Piles of furniture, drywall, and carpet lined the roadways. Everything was a mess!

I know there are some things you can do to prepare for storms like these, but some things you just can’t prepare for. What are you going to do with heavy equipment that can’t be moved? I’m sure there are solutions, but the last thing you want to do is worry about it. Most things in a fabrication shop can be replaced, but not without a pretty penny.

All images courtesy of Barnes MetalCrafters.

About the Author
Barnes MetalCrafters

Nick Martin

2121 Industrial Park Drive SE

Wilson, NC, 27893

252-291-0925