Spread the love

The parking lot of Elizabethtown’s National Guard Armory was filled with emergency vehicles Sunday morning. Emergency workers and soldiers passed the time sipping coffee and eating breakfast after a night spent sleeping on cots. All were awaiting word where their help was needed.

Emergency personnel await orders Sunday morning outside Elizabethtown's National Guard Armory — Emergency personnel await orders Sunday morning outside Elizabethtown’s National Guard Armory

The men and women were part of North Carolina’s response to heavy rains that have flooded some coastal areas in the state and South Carolina. The Armory was being used as a staging area for emergency personnel from Wake, Durham, Johnson, Harnett, Franklin and Orange counties, as well as about 20 National Guard soldiers.

“We’re ecstatic to have all these resources in Bladen County,” said Bradley Kinlaw, who is the emergency services director for Bladen County. “Even though we’re hosting them for deployment to the coastal counties, if something happens, they’re here and we can call on them. We’re very excited about that.”

Most of the emergency personnel arrived Saturday. Soldiers have been at the facility since Friday as Gov. Pat McCrory issued a state of emergency.

“We’re currently on state active duty and we’re here to support any operations that the state of North Carolina needs us to do,” said Barrett Foster, who is the commander of Company D 120th Infantry in Elizabethtown. “Right now, we’re in a standby mode, waiting on the weather, seeing what is going to happen and seeing where we need to go. This is the staging area for teams before we are sent out to whereever the need may arise.”

Flooding has been reported in portions of Brunswick County. Flood advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service for coastal counties. There’s also been flooding in Horry County in South Carolina.