For some, impacted by flooding, 2017 isn’t a time of celebration

Jan. 08--Hurricane Matthew wasn't the first time Reed Lovick felt the wrath of Mother Nature.

In 2011, Lovick was living near the Pamlico River when Hurricane Irene washed his house and everything in it away.

Last year, when Hurricane Matthew passed over Eastern North Carolina, Lovick, living in an office building on Queen Street, estimates he lost a little more than half of his belongings.

"It was like a river flowing through here," Lovick said.

Outside, Lovick said his truck was submerged, and inside his home took on between three and four feet of water, and everything below that level -- computers, photos, cameras, lenses, music equipment, furniture and more -- was lost.

"If you think about it, just about anything you keep in the house worth anything is below that level," Lovick said.

While some impacted by the flash floods and subsequent flooding of the Neuse River have been able to get assistance from FEMA or insurance companies, Lovick has not been so fortunate.

A week after Matthew, Lovick said he was able to get a cot to sleep on, and since then, he's been slowly rebuilding his life and his home largely on his own, though he has had some help from friends.

"I can tell you it's easier to lose 100 percent than it is to lose 60 percent because you don't have to sift through all of it," Lovick said.

Today, three months following the storm, Lovick said he's fixed up about half of his building.

He still has no bathroom -- a backup caused by floodwaters turned his toilet into "a fountain" of sewage and he hasn't been able to repair the damage -- and there are parts of his building he hasn't had a chance to work on yet.

While some were out celebrating the New Year at parties and with loved ones, Lovick said he was home alone, bringing in 2017 the same way he left 2016.

"I am just trying to rebuild my life," he said.

Dustin George can be reached at 252-559-1077 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DustinGeorgeKFP.

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