Flooding from record rainfall, storm surge legacy of Hurricane Florence
Kellum and 12 others from the family were among those rescued early morning
"We're lucky we all got out," Kellum said.
The flooding from storm surge and record-breaking rainfall are how Hurricane Florence will be remembered.
"The historic legacy of Hurricane Florence will be record breaking storm surge of 9 to 13 feet and devastating rainfall of 20 to 30 inches, which produced catastrophic and life-threatening flooding," the
That flooding and the wind and water damage that
Infogram
According to
The Kellum home was one of the 10,720 residential properties damaged in
After leaving their property, the Kellums stayed with friends or in hotels until they could return -- which was almost two weeks after
A month after the hurricane, neighbors are still helping Kellum with his house, adding to a large pile of unsalvageable items in his yard. He said he's stopped counting the number of days they've been working as he's hoping to rid his house of mold.
The debris from Hurricane Florence can be found across the area as families continue to clean up and make repairs. But the amount is slowly declining.
As of
The piles of debris are a sign of the personal loss families have dealt with due to the hurricane.
Unfortunately, Kellum said, his family is no stranger to tragedies.
"Last September ... we lost our daughter, and this September we lost the house," Kellum said.
But, he kept a sense of humor, along with other members of the family -- even as the
He talked about being put on a helicopter and given a paper gown to serve as a change of clothes.
"The paper clothes felt good; I just hoped it wouldn't rain anymore so I wouldn't end up naked," Kellum chuckled.
His sister and Harkin's wife, Kay, said she hardly got any sleep in the shelter once rescued, but remembers how good the food tasted. She said she and Harkins made their escape when a renter called her about flooding at his property and she invited him and his four daughters in. But by the time he got to her house, they were also taking on water from the door.
"It came in like a river,"
With her house flooding, she said she and her guests decided to get to the Kellum's house, which was further away from the water. They walked through water waist-deep down the flooded road.
"You couldn't see where you were going,"
When the Kellum's house also started flooding, the family made their way next door and waited on the porch once they had been spotted by a
It was getting back,
Currently, she said they are back home, but living on a "cement floor" and waiting for flooring and sheet rock to be removed. Still, the couple believes things could have come to worse.
"I'd be content if I didn't see a penny from anyone, but I'm really sorry for those people who lost everything,"
And there has been much loss.
According to
Of those who have applied for assistance in
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