BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — It has been one week since a severe storm unleashed several inches of rain across the Cape Fear area, with Brunswick County experiencing significant flooding.
During a recent Board of Commissioners meeting, the storm’s aftermath was a central topic, drawing strong reactions from residents. Over 20 individuals voiced their frustrations, with many blaming overdevelopment as a key factor contributing to last week’s flooding.
Haile Buggi and Garrett Baugher, residents of the Country Walk community in Winnabow, reported that their home, along with several others in the area, suffered flood damage due to nearby swampy conditions. Buggi emphasized the challenges, saying, “Five of our homes have been flooded. They live at the top of the hill, and their backyard floods. If they resolve that issue, it will only lead to more water for us. We have active swamps in our community with dead trees; you can clearly see it’s a swamp. How is development allowed in areas like this? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Both residents expressed uncertainty about their next steps, whether to rebuild or take a financial loss and relocate. Linda Baker also spoke during the meeting, stating her support for development but calling for smarter planning. “I’m not against development, but we need planned, intelligent development,” she remarked. “We witnessed the consequences of poor planning this past week.”
Board chairman Randy Thompson acknowledged the concerns raised and mentioned that the Board of Commissioners intends to evaluate various issues in the upcoming months, including evacuation plans, road conditions, and the county’s flood management strategies.
