ROBESON, NC (WBTW) – Robeson County is in dire need of contractors to complete flood mitigation jobs as Hurricane Matthew relief efforts continue. The county recently received a total of $5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reconstruct and elevate houses but they have only gotten two bids after sending out more than 800 requests.
Amber Davis, the county’s code enforcement technician, says they’ve been sending out contractor requests since June 1. They got two bids but ended up losing them after the state told them they needed at least three bids. They had to tell the contractors to resubmit their bids but they didn’t. Davis says she’s not too sure what could be causing the holdup in getting bids but she thinks it could be anything from contractors not knowing how much work needs to be done in the area to there being more flood mitigation projects than contractors in the state. County officials and residents are getting upset that these projects are being put on hold and hurricane victims are being forced to wait even longer to get back into their homes.
“It is frustrating, especially when you have citizens calling and wondering what the holdup is. They know that the money is there. Why isn’t anything taking place? Why isn’t any ground breaking? It’s just a little bit more complicated. There’s a few more extra steps that have to be done in order to get to that point in the project,” Davis said.
News13 also spoke with a homeowner in Red Springs who says she wants to be back in her house by the two-year anniversary of the storm. Rhonda McBryde says she was forced to evacuate her house on October 8, 2016. She tells us she was only able to save appliances but lost everything else in her house. Two of her cars also flooded. Since then, she has been staying with family members and at hotels. She says these past two years have been “a struggle.”
“I guess the heartbreaking thing for me is when you work all your life and you go in and see everything is destroyed, it just seems like there’s nothing. And they’re telling you this and they’re telling you that trying to keep you encouraged but when it seems Ike the doors are closed, that is discouraging,” said McBryde.
McBryde says her faith and support from the community have gotten her through and she’s hopeful the right contractors will come along.
“If they’re available, and I’m praying that they are, to come forward and let’s get to work,” she said.
Planning and Inspections Director Dixon Ivey, Jr. says 6 homes that are in flood zone areas are slated to be elevated, 18 houses will be bought out, and 15 houses are set to be reconstructed.
If you are interested in placing a contractor bid, you can apply online on the Robeson County website.