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STORY: :: Residents of this North Carolina town describe how an unnamed 'once-in-a-century' storm snuck up on them

:: September 17, 2024

:: Carolina Beach, North Carolina

:: Duke Hagestrom, The Fudgeboat owner

:: "I want to say it kind of snuck up on us. This wasn't what - you know, it's one thing when it's a named hurricane and you're tracking it for three or four days and you're watching it come at you and the news is telling you all about this hurricane. Everybody batten down the hatches. This was a real big surprise for us, but in the 22 years that we've been here, I would say this was absolutely - I can see the line on the wall in our store here - it's the highest the water's ever, ever come. So, it's crazy."

:: "It's a once in a century storm. We will recover. It's Carolina Beach, the locals will survive."

Residents in the coastal town of Carolina Beach said they were taken by surprise by the powerful storm system that dumped more than 20 inches of rain in a short period of time.

Duke Hagestrom, owner of a local ice cream store that was damaged, said the floodwaters reached the highest he had seen in 22 years.

Video images showed the town's neighborhoods and main streets swamped under water. A coastal flood advisory remains in place as residents wait for the waters to recede.