N. Carolina town reeling from ’18 hurricane

55 homes being evaluated for federal funds

TRENTON, N.C. — Nine months after Hurricane Florence inundated much of eastern North Carolina, the tiny town of Trenton is still struggling to rebuild as a new hurricane season begins.

The Jones County courthouse and jail have yet to reopen. Judges hear cases in county office buildings, and inmates are housed in another county. Even the mayor has yet to move back into her house, because construction workers are in short supply.

“It’s a slow process when you’ve got so many people displaced and only so many people to work,” Mayor Darlene Spivey said. “… It’s just more than I ever could have fathomed.”

The stately brick and stone courthouse rises over Trenton’s main street of brick storefronts, a bank branch, restaurant and gas station, along with several churches and a cemetery. The Trent River flows several blocks away.

The September 2018 hurricane turned downtown into a shallow lake of muddy water, flooding 106 homes — all but about 20 of the town’s households, town officials say.

Florence caused $22 billion in damage in North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. A state tally counts 45 storm-related deaths. In Jones County, numerous water rescues were performed as the Trent River overflowed its banks at record levels.

Fifty-five homes with Trenton addresses are being evaluated for federal hazard mitigation funds, though some may be outside of town limits, according to state emergency management officials. Across Jones County, 111 homeowners have sought expedited buyouts because of Florence, more than any other North Carolina county, according to a joint state-federal notice.

It’s not clear when buyouts will be approved.