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Roanoke Rapids dry now, but some still in shock

For many Roanoke Rapids residents, the shock of what happened this weekend still has not worn off. The city is waiting for word from the state whether it will be declared a disaster area.

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ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — For many Roanoke Rapids residents, the shock of what happened this weekend still has not worn off.

Saturday's severe flooding blocked streets and shut down part of Interstate 95. More than 150 properties were damaged.

Homeowner Herbert Brown is amazed at how high the floodwaters rose on his car.

“There was a complete river in front of my house,” said Brown, who lives at the intersection of Second and Franklin streets. The area was shut down after a sinkhole swallowed the street.

“It sounded almost as if a bomb went off,” Brown recalled. “I mean the sound – and the garage shook.”

A few blocks away, in front of the Massey Funeral Home at Ninth and Jackson streets, water got so high it crept into the business.

“Water is one of the worst damages that you can probably have,” owner Harold Massey said.

The damage was mostly in one room that flooded with about 180 gallons of water. Right outside the room, in the parking lot, there’s a storm drain.

Massey said the drain simply couldn’t handle all the water.

“I’ve never seen it this way,” he said.

The funeral home wasn't the only business that was damaged. Chris Moseley, owner of Chris Moseley Electric, watched his business flood for the third time in a month.

Right now, the city is waiting for word from the state on a disaster declaration, which would help home and business owners get low-interest loans to begin the rebuilding process.

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