Cumberland County residents brace for second blow from Michael

Neighborhoods in Cumberland County flooded during Hurricane Florence are once again bracing for another blow as power outages from heavy rain and wind are a big concern with Hurricane Michael.

In preparation, Cumberland County will open its Emergency Operation Center Thursday at 8 a.m., and Hope Mills declared a state of emergency.

Thomas Walck, who is still recovering from Florence, said his home flooded when Rockfish Creek spilled over its banks.

"It actually went up under the trailer. It knocked out the power to the well. It shorted circuits inside the house," he said.

Walck said the loss of power to his home for days meant food in the refrigerator spoiled. So, he and others headed to Fayetteville Urban Ministry Food Bank.

"We got knocked out of power at about 1 p.m. that first day. We were without power for about three days. We lost about $450 worth of food," said Bobby Aldridge.

Food banks at places such as Operation Inasmuch, True Vine Ministries, Second Harvest and the Fayetteville Urban Ministry jumped in to help.

"We need to get it all in so we can give it all out. Folks that are in preparation for any type of crisis that's coming along, but more importantly, when a natural disaster is possibly coming in the area, we’ve got to be very well prepared for that," said Johnny Wilson (who is he?).

Walck said he is keeping a close eye on the storm.

"The bigger the storm is, the more damage you know we're going to have," he said. "We've already put everything we had into this house to fix it from the first storm," Walck said

Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner said the dam performed like it was designed to do during Hurricane Florence. As of Wednesday, there was no plan to lower the water in Hope Mills Lake, but officials are monitoring the rain associated with Michael and will make adjustments as needed.