CLYDE, N.C. (ABP) — A map on a wall at First Baptist Church said it all. Thin lines representing the Pigeon River were marked on either side with sprawling black areas — the parts of the town where a fierce wall of water invaded like a giant angry snake.
Floods shoved houses off foundations, broke bridges and floated mobile homes and cars away to ruination.
By early October the river was back to flowing in its normal, civilized way. But it's doubtful residents of Clyde and surrounding Haywood County will ever see the river in the same way.
It was a double weather whammy. First, around Sept. 7, Hurricane Frances dumped rains so abundantly that the river flooded. That had hardly drained when remnants of Hurricane Ivan dumped still more water onto the soaked ground and another flood swept through in mid-September.
A foot of rain fell in less than three days, locals said.
The TV news crews have left; the flood is not news anymore. But try telling that to local residents who live near the Pigeon River. On one street alongside the river, big piles of debris sat outside every house.
People who have never visited a flood site might think the residents just need to shovel out the mud, clean things off and bring in new furniture. People here wish it were that simple.
First, the water typically ruined more of the house than its contents. Wet floorboards, wall panels and sheetrock all must be removed. Left wet, the wood will quickly attract mold and mildew and will begin rotting. Electrical wiring must be replaced.
Second, the flood left a coating of mud. This is not simple mud that sits on a river's banks. It is mud that stinks because it has been contaminated from a sewage treatment center upstream — and nobody knows what else. Workers in the muddiest sites wear biohazard suits and masks to protect themselves.
After a house is stripped down to its basic frame and supports, the whole must be pressure-washed and treated with disinfectant. Then it must dry out before rebuilding can start.
Multiply that process by every flooded building and you begin to see why the flood is not gone for people here. It hits them in the face every time they open their eyes — and it will do so for months to come.
When rain started falling again a few days ago, many people here became fearful: Was another flood going to come?
In Clyde, relief workers said clearing basements was especially hard. Many of the houses were built 40 or 50 years ago and basement access is only from inside the house. In some houses, workers resorted to bucket brigades to bring out ruined boards, panels and household effects.
It is back-breaking work. And it is heart-breaking work, as they sift through lifetimes of family possessions, reduced to piles of smelly, muddy waste.
On Saturday morning, Oct. 2, volunteers started to materialize out of the morning fog very early. They came from across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. By the day's end, 229 workers had come to help with flood relief.
First Baptist Church in Clyde has been set up as flood-relief coordination center for Baptist Men's groups. Volunteers are being housed at the church and also at a nearby Baptist camp. The church is providing food for upwards of 500 people a day, including flood victims and volunteers.
During a Saturday evening devotional for volunteers, layman Charlie Stroud from Parkview Baptist Church, Morehead City, N.C., urged the workers to have a vision for the way the houses are going to look once rebuilt. “The people here need a vision,” he said.
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— Photos available from Associated Baptist Press