Memories of Floyd flood Tarboro residents as Matthew approaches

Rex Jewelers on Main Street was one of the hardest hit areas.

"We didn't have time to take anything," Owner Lynn Taylor said.

It took two months for the store to reopen. Flood waters rose up to the tops of the display counters and $300,000 worth of materials were destroyed.

"Something you work your lifetime for, and to see it all taken away in just a day or two," Taylor said.

Donnie Tolson, a Tarboro resident, has seen his fair share of storms.

"If I remember correctly, we were 39 feet above flood stage," he said. "I could only travel 4, 5 miles from my house. Any which way - north, south, east, west just water, just water."

Now that Hurricane Matthew is expected to impact the coast this weekend, people in Tarboro are already cutting down on weekend plans.

"We've had some people cancel so they can go to the beach and get their area secured over there and get things ready," said Renee Owens, who works at a salon.

"You don't know what to expect until you have been through it," Taylor said.

The neighboring town of Princeville was also impacted by Hurricane Floyd.